Of Light and Darkness
by elsalamz
Summary: After thirty years stranded on Midgard without her memories, Ness, Goddess of Night, is reunited with her old friends. Their story is complicated and long and far from over. Loki/OC , Thor/OC - starts during the first Thor movie and continues all the way to Ragnarok and the Infinity Wars when they come out.
1. Chapter 1

**Some things are slightly AU just to fit the character's stories. So dialogues or scenes will change, it's not a mistake don't worry. Anyway thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think! ((This is a super short chapter, but the rest will be longer, it's just for the intro!))**

The four of us sat inside the van, surrounded by earth and dust and dirt. Erik was impatiently tapping his fingers on the wheel, while I sat next to him, tired and mildly irritated. Both of us thought on this occasion Jane had missed something, or saw something that wasn't there. Like the past seventeen times.

She and Darcy sat cross legged in the back, cables and screens arround them. While Jane worked with the energy patterns showing up on screen, Darcy absentmindedly looked out the window.

"I don't know what we're waiting for, it wasn't that much energy on the charts," I spoke.

"That's because it's a starting point, it's going to rise," she explained.

I admit I understood none of this. Science wasn't my best friend, but I understood that the amount of energy we would see if this were what we were looking for, would be immensely larger. Erik began arguing with Jane, my desperation rubbing off on him. After so many years of looking for the same thing, you kind of start losing hope that it's ever going to reappear.

"I wouldn't have made you all fly out here if I wasn't absolutely sure-"

"Um, guys," Darcy interrupted, "I think you'll want to see this."

I turned around, and saw the flashes. Blue light coming through the clouds, and then a huge surge of energy and light cutting through the night sky. My mouth opened wide and I felt adrenaline rush through me.

"Drive!" I exclaimed, pushing Erik to snap out of his surprised state.

He quickly turned the engine on and sped towards the growing lights. We were only a few feet away when the blast hit the ground, dust rising everywhere and halfing our visibility.

"Keep going!" Jane insisted, bringing out her camera and filming everything.

"No," Darcy screamed back, "I am not losing my life for college credits!"

Darcy tried climbing in the front and turning the wheel around, and as I turned to push her back a loud smack was heard from front of the car and the rest of the noise from whatever that energy had been was gone. Silence filled the car and everyone looked at each other for a moment before I broke out of it and opened the door, walking towards whatever we had hit.

"I think that was legally your fault," Darcy called to Erik.

"Get the first aid kit," Jane said.

The dust clearing, I now saw we'd hit a man. He lay on the ground and Jane kneeled besides him chanting _please don't be dead_ over and over again. I inched closer slowly, feeling Erik's eyes on me. The man started breathing, then sat up, looking first at Jane, who was closest to him.

"Woah, does he need CPR?" Darcy asked, "because I totally know CPR."

He was indeed very good looking, maybe the most attractive person I'd seen in my entire life – not that I remembered all of it – but I couldn't focus on that, I still felt my entire body tense with shock and I hadn't been able to take another step after he'd opened his eyes. He groaned and fell back to the ground.

"Where did he come from?"

I looked at Erik but as we considered saying something more, the man stood from the ground with a groan and began flailing around. He was still inside the circle that had appeared on the ground, the symbols the same as the ones I'd seen before and could never forget.

"You all right?" Darcy asked.

"Hammer!" he bellowed, "hammer!"

"Yeah, we can tell you're hammered, it's pretty obvious."

Jane began taking pictures and writing things down excitedly while the man paced around in a dazed state, looking up at the sky.

"We have to take him to the hospital," Erik said.

"What?" I asked, finally speaking, "no! We don't!"

He started to reply, but then Thor's yelling interrupted.

"Father! Heimdall! I know you can hear me, open the bifrost!"  
 _Bifrost?_

"Hospital it is," Jane agreed with Erik.

"You!" he turned, pointing at Erik, "what realm is this?"

He listed of names, none of which we knew and then Darcy brought her taser out.

"New Mexico," she said.

"You dare threaten me?" he stared the weapon down, "I am the son of-"

Darcy shot the gun, and with a shock he fell to the ground, unconcious. We all turned to look at her but she just shrugged.

"What? He was freaking me out!"

"Let's just put him in the back of the truck and take him to the office," I said.

"He needs to get checked," Erik insisted.

He carried him into the van, Darcy jumping in besides him, followed by Jane. I climbed in the passenger seat as Erik was starting the engine.

"Erik, please," I whispered.

"I know," he whispered back, "we'll stay there until he wakes up but we can't just assume he's fine."

"Fine."

"Anna-"

"I said it's fine."

He started driving and when Jane and Darcy had stopped looking at us for arguing he turned back and spoke to me.

"I know how important this is," he said, "and I promise: you're getting answers. I won't let this pass without you getting what you need."

I nodded but turned away. I hoped he was right.

 ** _Thirty Years Ago_**

 _A thirty year old Erik Selvig sat in the highest branch of a tree, notebook in hand, undecifrable equations covering every corner of the lined page. He came often out to the woods near his lab for peace of mind, but the usual silence was suddenly interrupted by the sound of something coming from above. He turned his head up and saw blue light breaking the white covered sky and then a blast of it breaking down into the ground in front of him. He climbed down the tree as the dirt that had been lifted fell back into the ground and creeped towards the figure on the ground._

 _He could tell it was a woman but he couldn't tell much else. She was wearing a dark blue dress, almost black, sleeveless and too thin for the cold weather of Norway. She started coughing, sitting up and looking at him._

 _A multitude of feelings passed through her face, from fear to confusion to worry._

 _"_ _Hello," he said, holding his hand out for her, "I just want to help you."  
"I-" her voice shook, "where am I?"_

 _"_ _Norway. Earth."_

 _Her brows furrowed but she didn't answer anything._

 _"_ _Who are you?" he asked._

 _She thought about it, visibly confused._

 _"_ _What's your name? Do you know where you came from?"_

 _Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked rapidly trying to hold them back. She finally looked at him and shook her head._

 _"_ _That's alright," curiosity overtaking his fear of the unknown, he kneeled next to her, "we'll figure it out okay? I promise I'll help you."_

 _Her shoulders untensed and althought she still looked worried and confused a part of her calmed when he said this. She nodded at him and he smiled at her._

 _"_ _I'm Erik Selvig," he said, "can I call you Anna while we figure things out?"_


	2. Chapter 2

Jane talked to the nurse in the hospital lobby, checking the mysterious man in. Darcy stood besides her and Erik and I leaned against the wall behind them.

"He hit him with a car," Jane muttered.

"And I tasered him," Darcy announced proudly.

"Yes, she did."

"And your relationship to this man?" the nurse asked.

"I've never seen him before," Jane answered.

"Well, in that case, you can just leave your number, but I doubt there will be any charges," the nurse offered.

"Actually, I think we should stay," I said, "just to make sure he's fine."

"Alright," the nurse shrugged, and walked off.

Jane and Darcy sat in the empty seats I'd been ignoring, still too full of adrenaline to sit.

"Maybe we should go home and come back later?" Jane asked.

"I'm hungry, and tired," Darcy agreed.

"We're waiting," I snapped.

Darcy grunted, covered her face with her hat and leaned back into the wall.

"He was just in the right place at the wrong time, he's irrelevant to what we just saw," Jane insisted.

"How could you know that?"

"He was visibly drunk and screaming at the sky."  
"That's how we saw it, not how it was."

She didn't answer. Erik took my arm and walked me a little ways off.

"That's exactly what it looked like last time," he said.

"You're sure?"

"I wouldn't tell you if I weren't and you saw the symbols, you know them."

After a pause I spoke, "I need to talk to him."

"I think we should wait for him to get signed out, he didn't look too bad, it shouldn't be long."  
As if on cue, we heard a shout coming from where they'd taken the tall blonde and nurses rushed that way as the sounds2 of glass breaking and something hitting the wall were heard. I walked that way, peeking and seeing the man's face shoved against the glass window of the door.

"I am Thor, son of Odin and you will not have me tied to a bed!" he screamed and then slumped down as his eyes tilted closed and the doctors carried him back to his bed.

"Well, he clearly knows or thinks he knows who he is," Erik shrugged.

"This is insane."

"So is everything about you, just give it a shot."

"Of course I'll give it a shot, I'll give anything a chance right now, but he just called himself _Thor._ "

"Yeah," Erik nodded, "son of Odin. Like, y'know, the norse gods."

"Oh, fuck," I facepalmed. This could be any insane man. What if Jane was right and he'd just been drunk and wandering around when whatever happened happened?

But then there was that small voice in the back of my head saying something about him felt familiar. He hadn't seen me yet, but there was an air to him, an aura of something that resembled home in my head. But I knew that was impossible. I remembered nothing from whoever I'd been before Erik found me. Absolute darkness came to mind when I thought of a before. It would be like asking anyone else where they were before they were born.

"Anna, we're getting coffee and bagels, you want anything?" Darcy walked up to me.

"Sure, get me whatever you get," I nodded and walked back to the chairs, dropping myself into one.

How long would it be until they discharged him after he attacked half their staff? This was a tiny town in New Mexico, if it could even be called that. It would definitely make headlines and the cops would want to question him and I was feeling extremely anxious. I didn't want him shouting out answers I wanted to get told carefully and personally, not pieced together and played with by a third rate newspaper.

After Darcy and Jane took off, Erik sat next to me.

"You think he has… abilities, like you?"

I shrugged. I knew all of our conversations today had been strange but between the fear and excitement and desperation I was feeling I couldn't help it. Besides, he knew I hated talking about my so called abilities. A few days after he found me we noticed them first and through the years I worked and trained myself to control them and use them as best as I could. Of course I knew that there was a lot more untapped power where my abilities came from but I never dared push it. I didn't fully understand it and I was scared it would hurt someone. Or that someone would find out and hurt me. With the last few years the level of attention on people who were considered in any way "supernatural" was dangerous. They already had a watchlist with people like Tony Stark and the recently unburried Steve Rodgers. I didn't know who _they_ were but I knew I didn't want them knowing who I was. And for the last thirty years I evaded every government agent, every questioning look, anyone who noticed me, the never aging girl who hung around the famed astrophycist but didn't know shit about science.

That's why Jane and Darcy didn't know the whole story. It wasn't that I didn't trust them, I just refused to trust anyone other than Erik, and I only trusted him because I had to. Because he was all I had. My head was spinning with all these thoughts that I pushed to the back of the head most of the time, as often as I could, so I stood up feeling dizzy.

"I'm just going to get some air," I said, "can we talk later?"

"Sure, sure," Erik nodded.

I walked out into the hospital sidewalk and saw a thin woman leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette. I was tempted to ask for one, but just as I was about to, the man who called himself Thor burst through the door. He was looking around frantically, confused, and Erik burst out behind him.

His eyes landed on me and his already confused facial expression seemed to intensify. His manic movements stopped abruptly and he began breathing heavily, walking towards me in nothing but the hospital gown he'd run out in. It seemed like he stared me down for an eternity before he spoke.

"Neaessa?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Anna, we've got to move, the doctors will come after him," Erik said. I knew he hadn't heard and I almost felt frozen to my spot but I forced myself to snap out of it and grabbed Thor by the arm.

"You heard him," I pulled at him, "unless you want to get tied up again come with us."

His mouth seemed to have dried because he didn't reply, just licked his lips and nodded. He was still breathless but he walked at a quicker pace than us anyway and we rounded the corner as Erik called Jane and Darcy to pick us up.

The whole ride to the lab – or the temporary set up we'd constructed while we stayed here – was silent. Thor stared at me and I glanced occasionally back through the rearview mirror but tried to ignore his penetrating gaze. Jane stared at Thor, sitting next to him in a daze. Erik stared at all of us. Darcy just drove and made the occasional joke which went unanswered, making her feel the urge to keep talking.

We finally arrived and I practically jumped out of the car, the tension thick and palpable. I wanted to talk to him, my earlier anxiety gone after we finally had him here safely, replaced with the overwhelming curiosity I'd started to lose hope I'd ever fulfill. He got out of the car more calmly, his movements controlled, they way they'd been since he saw me and the mania that had characterized him so far had left.

Everyone followed us in and Jane was the first to speak.

"You'll want some clothes, I guess."

"That would be great, thank you," Thor cleared his throat.

"Anna, I think Ed left some things behind, right?" Jane asked me.

"Right, yeah," I nodded, feeling dazed and confused, "I'll go get that."

"Ed?" Thor asked.

"Anna's boyfriend. Ex boyfriend. I don't know, her relationships are weird, man," Darcy shrugged, sitting down and spinning in her usual chair.

"She was with a man?" I heard Thor asked while I opened the bottom drawer in the adjoining room.

"Well, she kept saying they weren't _together_ together, but yeah," Darcy replied.

"Anna isn't much for relationships," Erik said sharply, "she doesn't like the… temporality of it."

I walked back into the room as Thor nodded at Erik and handed him the clothes. He smiled at me and thanked me, starting to take off the hospital gown from the top. I could guess if he took it fully off there wouldn't be much left to the imagination.

"Woah," Darcy smiled, "I mean… he's pretty cut."  
"You can change in my room," I pointed, "we'll wait here."

He looked around and then nodded with a smile, retreating back into my room. I took off my black jacket and threw it over the back of my chair, comfortably crossing my legs. For as long as I can remember those were the colors that called to me. Deep blues and black.

Thor walked back into the room in Ed's pants and grey shirt.

"So," Jane asked him, "you said your name was… Thor?"

"Yes," he looked at me, "Thor, son of Odin. Of Asgard."  
Erik chuckled, making everyone turn to him.

"I'm sorry," he held his hands up, "Thor as in the God of Thunder?"

"I am glad to see she has spoken about me," he nodded at me.

I gave Erik a confused look, similar to the one everyone in the room was currently showing.

"I'm sorry, Thor," his name felt strange on my lips, foreign and familiar at the same time, "do you think maybe we could talk for a minute? Alone?"

"Of course."

We stepped outside, and he smiled at me, the earlier look of shock gone from his features.

"I am so glad I've found you," he said, embracing me.

I didn't move at first, but then took a step back.

"I'm sorry," I said, about to explain I didn't know who he was before he interrupted.

"There is no need, Ness," he shook his head, "whatever the reason you left or didn't come back, I can forgive. We all can. Not a day goes by when I don't think about you, worry about where you've gone. Heimdall searched for you endlessly, but it seems you cast a very strong cloaking spell."

"Thor, I don't know how anything you are saying makes sense."

"Do your Midgardian friends not know of your origin?"

"You're not listening, _I_ don't know of my origin!" I snapped, almost shouting, "I have been living the last thirty years wondering where I came from I know nothing before I woke on Earth!"

"You," he struggled, "you don't remember me?"

The look on his face was truly hurt. I regretted my words, or the way I said them instantly, but tact has never been my strong suit. Being overly emotional makes me cringe and I'm only good at saying things all at once or not at all.

"Listen, I don't remember anything," I said more calmly, "I've been trying to figure it all out since I came here. That's why we found you, Erik and I have been looking for energy patterns like the ones that he saw when he found me. Thirty years ago."

Thor breathed out heavily, passing his hand across his hair, before sitting down on the windowsill that poked out of the wall. He looked at the ground and I could almost see the gears in his head spinning as he tried to think of what came next. At the same time, in my head everything seemed to have cleared. It's like I'd been looking at everything through a dirty window and finally someone was helping me wash it.

"Thor," I sat next to him, giving him a small smile, "I don't remember. But I want to. You can help me."

He nodded and slowly returned the smile.

"Of course I'll help you," he took my hand, surprising me, "that's all I've ever wanted to do, Ness. That's all you ever did for me."

"You can start by explaining that name you keep calling me," I laughed.

"Neaessa," he squeezed my hand, "that's your name. But we call you Ness."

"Ness," I nodded, the name making pure joy course through my veins.

Not a fake name for a fake passport. Not a placeholder to be refered to. My name. Real and tangible.

"And whose we?" I asked.

 **Hello again! This is the second chapter of many many more to go. We're only starting on the first Thor film and we have Avengers, The Dark World, Ragnarok and then the upcoming Infinity Wars to go! I plan to follow through on all of it so be sure to tell me what you think! Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

We walked back into the room after a flustered answer he couldn't deliver, everyone rushing back to their seats to pretend they hadn't been eavesdropping. Darcy pushed the chair back, sending her tumbling into the ground.

"Welcome back!" she exclaimed.

"Right," I said.

"This mortal form has grown weak," Thor spoke, "I need sustenance."

"Well, we have Pop Tarts and coffee here, but we might have to head out for real food," Jane replied.

"Out where?" he asked.

"Denny's" Darcy offered.

"Alright, let us go to the home of Denny for food."  
As we headed out he grabbed the box of Pop-Tarts, opening the first pack while we weren't even outside the door.

"It's only a few minutes away," Jane stared at the food.

"Good, I'm starving," he said, food in his mouth already.

Jane rolled her eyes but got in the car anyway. I let Darcy get in the front with Erik, sitting next to a permanently smiling Thor who wouldn't stop looking at me.

"Staring isn't very nice," I muttered.

"I'm sorry, it's just been so long since I last saw your face. I've missed it terribly."  
Jane and Darcy gave each other a look which I didn't acknowledge.

"Shut up and eat your Pop-Tarts," I shoved him softly.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant the box was empty. We walked in and ordered the first decent meal we'd had since last night, making me realize how hungry I was and how in need of a shower too. I ordered the burger and house fries and a large coffee. I'd had a huge appetite as long as I could remember, and I knew if I weren't so jittery and excited a milkshake would also be on the menu.

The waiting for the meal was impatient from everyone, and by the time we were all done eating, Thor was ordering a third round of food, eggs and bacon and pancakes and waffles coming endlessly to our table.

"How could he eat so much and still be this hungry?" Darcy asked.

"I feel like I'm seeing Anna drunk eating pizza but it's so much worse," Jane stared.

"Ness," Thor pointed his fork at her, "Anna is not her given name. I do not think she prefers it. Do you?"

Everyone turned to me and I just shrugged.

"You can call me what you want."

"This drink, I like it," Thor nodded, gazing lovingly at the cup of coffee.

"I know, it's great right?"  
"Another!" he shouted, throwing and breaking the white ceramic mug into the ground.

Everyone turned to look at us, gasping.

"Sorry, he's a little out of it," Jane apologized to everyone, rushing to clean the mess.

"Thor no," I shook my head at him.  
"No?" he asked.

"What was that?" Jane snapped.

"It was delicious, I want another."

"You could've just said so."  
"I just did," he laughed.

"No, I mean, ask nicely," Jane hated public displays like this.

"I meant no disrespect."

I could see he was ashamed now, his body language showing he felt inadequate, I feeling I was all too familiar with, back before I adapted.

"Alright, well, no more smashing, okay?"

"You have my word," he nodded.

"Just apologize to the waitress when she comes around," I smiled at him.

"Waitress?"

"The woman who brought us our food."  
"The wife of Denny, I presume?"  
"Yeah," Darcy laughed, "Denny's wife."

The diner was just settling down when a few men in beat up jackets walked in and sat by the booth, talking loudly to the server.

"You missed all the excitement out at the crater," one of them said, "some kind of… satellite landed out in the desert."

"Yeah, we were having a good time with it."  
"Until the feds showed up."

"Excuse me," Jane called out to them, "did you say there was a satellite crash?"

They turned to face us, looking the five of us up and down, clearly not locals.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Oh my god," Darcy ignored the conversation, "this is going on Facebook, smile!"

She pointed her phone at Thor who unquestioningly smiled at her. I smiled at the fact it was likely he did not know what Facebook or even what a phone was and he still smiled just because she asked him to.

"What did it look like?" Erik asked the men, "the satellite?"

"Well, I don't know anything about satellites, but it was heavy. Nobody could lift it. It's like it was radioactive, I had my hands all over it."

Thor stood and walked over to the man, placing a large hand on his shoulder.

"Which way?"

"Oh, uh, fifty miles west of here."

Thor walked back to the table, taking my hand and pulling me up and towards the door. I barely grabbed my bag and threw a twenty to cover the huge meal before we were standing outside. The men were calling out for him not to waste his time with the army and the weight of the so called satellite but he ignored them.

"Where are we going?"

"It's not a _satellite,_ " he said the word as if it were another language, "it is Mjolnir."  
"Mew mew?" Darcy asked, rushing out behind us.

"You can't just claim something the feds already think is theirs," Jane said.  
"I can, because it is mine. And if you take me fifty miles west you will all see."

"I'm sorry," Erik shook his hands in the air, "why would we go rile up the feds? That's insane, that's just asking for trouble. Anna, you've been careful so far, don't ruin it now."  
"This is different," I could tell. "I'll take you."

"Always helping each other," Thor smiled, walking towards where we parked the van.

The four of us followed and saw him struggle to open the door until Erik clicked the unlock button of the keys. I took them from his hand, getting in the driver's seat with Thor besides me.

"I'll drop you guys off at the lab, we don't need to call too much attention to ourselves," I said.

"Then we'll retrieve Mjolnir?"

"Uh-huh."

I started the car and halfway to the building cars started swooping by, pickup trucks full of equipment I could recognize despite the fact I never used it myself.

"Hey!" Jane exclaimed, "that's our stuff! Step on it! What the fuck?!"

We parked messily and everyone jumped out, running towards the guy holding a clipboard who was visibly in charge of things.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jane screamed at him.

"Miss Foster, I'm Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D."  
At the mention of the name both Erik and I tensed, having heard it too often mentioned only by conspiracist and in rare moments where people started asking me too many questions.

"Jane, stop," I grabbed her arm.

"These people are not to be messed with," Erik grumbled, "this is a lot more serious than you realize, let it go."  
"Let it go?" she exclaimed, "this is years worth of research! Everything you've trained me to look for, you said it had a purpose, is it to get it teared from our hands by them?"

"We can now find that purpose, Jane," I whispered harshly, "without the science and computers."

"W-what?" she angrily shook her head, "no! This is my life!"

"We're investigating a security threat," Agent Coulson explained, "Dr. Selvig, Ms. Lewis, yourself and…" he stared at me with a smile that held both curiosity and confusion, "Ms. Selvig, were just caught up in it. I'm sorry."

I was amused at the name he chose for me and glad he hadn't known much. I'd struggled to keep everything about me, the few things I knew, a secret. And if he had known who I was I'd be getting loaded into the truckloads of things they were taking, to be put in a thick glass box and experimented with. He and Jane continued fighting as everyone else settled back, unsure of how to react.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the agent finally stated, getting into a car, everything packed up and taking off.

The place looked even emptier than the day we rented it out, even with the cables and wrappers of food scattered throughout. It gave off that feeling of an empty stadium after a big game and it made everyone's mood sour.

"You have to get that back, Thor," Jane turned to him.

"I'm not sure how," he admitted.

"Get your stupid satellite and get my things back!"

"Lady Foster-"

"Or we won't help you anymore! Seriously this isn't fair!" she stormed off, Darcy running behind her.

Erik looked at us helplessly.

"I'll take him to get his Mjolnir," Jane's anger rubbed off on me, but I was much more experienced with feeling rage all of the time, so I kept my exterior collected. "We'll get whatever we can."

"She'll understand if we explain that there's more to it than the data," Erik replied.

"Yes, well," I shrugged, "maybe the more isn't the best part for her. She does love her data."

Erik laughed and followed through the door where Jane and Darcy had walked through. I turned to look at Thor.

"I hope you know what you're doing," I said, walking towards the truck.  
"I rarely do," he smiled, "but it always turns out right."

"So you've done something like this before?" I broke the silence, Thor's unwavering smile making me a little uncomfortable.

"Many times," he nodded, "so have you."

"Right, yeah," I responded, "and you're sure that was me?"

His smile fell at that.

"Do you think I could ever forget you?" he asked, true offense in his voice, "I know you could not forget me either were it not for whatever spell is upon you. We know each other better than the other knows themselves."

"Clearly," I muttered.

"You don't have to help me today, though. It's alright if you've also forgotten about your gifts. We'll get those back too."

"You know about them?"

"Do you?"

We were both surprised.

"I have not tested their full strength, but yes," I admitted, "I know I have certain gifts as you called them."

"You are a goddess. Of course you do."  
"A goddess," I laughed, "wow. Alright then. That's new."  
"Ness," he turned to face me completely, "you are. I don't want to overwhelm you but even without your memories, you surely can feel your own strength. You knew you were not of this realm, right?"

"I knew I was not human," I nodded, "but I expected you to call me a witch or a mutant, god knows I don't see myself as the goddess of… whatever it is I am the goddess of."  
"Your father was the king of the tenth realm," Thor explained, "when it fell all he managed to get out was you. And so we took you into Asgard. My home. Our home, really. Your realm was one of darkness and night."  
"Darkness?"

"The most soothing that could ever be," he explained, "all your peoples were creatures of the moon and stars. Darkness is not something evil in itself, it is only when it is afraid of light that evil lies within it. Your people were not. They dotted the night sky with wonderful lights. That's where I got Mjolnir. My hammer. From the soul of a dying star."

"You'll forgive me if I'm feeling a little confused, this is a lot… but keep going."

"Your realm collapsed. Asgard now only keeps the peace between it's remaining nine realms. But all the power of yours was bestowed upon you and so you helped us keep that peace. My father, the Allfather, named you the Goddess of the Night."

I breathed deeply, unsure of how to respond, instead just clicking the car audio system on, the CD I'd left inside playing a mix of 80's songs. The first music I had any memory of ever hearing.

"But who are you?" I finally said.

"You'll see soon enough," he smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

The sky was dark by the time we saw the outline of the military type encampment they'd created to surround the crater. How they got it all up so quick was fascinating to me and I parked a good few miles away to make sure their cameras and excessive guards wouldn't see us.

"What now?" I asked Thor.

"Now, I show you who I am."  
He got out of the car and I followed.

"No, wait," I held him back, my hand grabbing his arm, which he looked and smirked at, "look at the fucking city they built around that thing! You can't just go in without any weapons or- or let me help you."

"I know you can do much with your magic, but I need to do this myself. I will prove I am worthy."

"Have you not proven that yet?"

A certain sadness crossed his features but he shook it off.

"Not enough. Just wait here. It won't be long," he smiled at the thunder rumbling above us.

"Are you sure?"

"Gods," he laughed, "if you had your memories and you knew of how worried you were acting about me you'd be ashamed. And I would not let it go for months."

I rolled my eyes as he slipped off into the dunes and grasses, not bothering to conceal his huge figure too well. I sat on the hood of the car and hoped everything he said so far was true, especially the part where I had nothing to worry about.

 _Thor's P.O.V._

After the successful break in and the not so successful retrieval of Mjolnir, I sat defeated on the small room they designated for me. The joy of finding Ness and hopefullness of finding my hammer were replaced by a cold, hard pit in my stomach. Worry about getting us both back to Asgard. Worry about never getting her memories back. Or my hammer. Worry about her remembering and realising that it wasn't me she missed at all.

"You made my men, some of the most highly trained professionals in the world, look like a bunch of minimum wage mall cops," the man, Agent Coulson, spoke to me. "That's hurtful."

I couldn't respond, but only stared at the ground, my head lost in a grey cloud of hoplessness. He kept speaking but I did not listen to anything he said, instead spinning thoughts of worry and sadness in my head. If one more bad thing came my way I might as well collapse from it.

"Who are you?"

I finally looked up at him but gave no answer only staring him down.

"One way or another we'll find out what we need to know. We're good at that."

A strange sound came from inside his clothing and he brought out a small metal device much like the one Neaessa's friend, Darcy had told him to smile into. Would this man ask him to smile as well?

"Don't go anywhere," the man said, looking at the machine, before walking towards the door, which slid open of it's own accord. Midgard was much more advanced than I recalled.

As the door closed behind him, the picture of my brother reflected back to me.

"Loki," I exhaled, sitting up, "what are you doing here?"

He wore garments similar to the ones of Midgard, in his usual green and black colours. His face looked somber.

"I had to see you," he responded.

For a moment panic moved through me. _Did he know I had found her?_ And then, _why did I feel the need to keep this from him?_ But then I saw his face. Grave news were coming and the way he always spoke of her, even years after she'd left, was never with the hopeless gravity I saw now, but with a helpless, unconcious excitement radiating off him. He did not know. Was I supposed to tell him?

"What's happened?" I asked instead, "tell me, is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to Father."

"Father is dead," Loki replied.

"What?" disbelief filled me. He could not be. I had just seen him, less than two days ago.

"Your banishment, the threat of the new war, it was too much for him to bear. The way that you've acted or the past thirty years, ever since she," there he choked on the word, but continued, "ever since you began acting more brashly. It was hard on him. But you mustn't blame yourself. I know that you loved him, I tried to tell him so but he wouldn't listen."  
Tears fell out of my eyes and I could not help them.

"It was so cruel to put the hammer within your reach knowing that you could never lift it. The burden of the throne has fallen to me now."  
"Can I come home?" my voice shook.

Unease passed through my brother's face. I wondered if he would deny her this if he knew she was here as well. I wondered if it was selfish not to tell him so that at least she could go back. But surely she wouldn't leave without me.

"The truce with Jotunheim is conditional upon your exile," Loki said.

"Yes, but, couldn't we find a way?" tears kept coming out of my eyes.

"Your mother has forbidden your return. This is goodbye brother. I'm so sorry."  
Blow after blow hitting home I finally felt it. The full collapse of everything I had had being taken from me, losing it all. And it was my fault. I could blame no one but my own foolish self.

"No," I shook my head, "I am sorry. Thank you for coming here."

"Farewell."

The movement as he turned around was slow, but he was quickly surrounded by green lighting and then he was gone. And so was my chance to ever come home. And possibly Ness's.

"Goodbye," I whispered to the air as the door opened.

"Goodbye?" a smiling figure walked into the room through one of the walls, materializing before my eyes. "I just got here. I hope you were adressing the shit boarding they gave you."

"How did you?"

"I may not remember being one of your gods, but I can still work some of my old tricks," she shrugged, "let's get out of here."

She held her hand out, seeing my visibly broken state. I took it gratefully and the next step I took was out in the desert, next to the truck.

"Ta da!" she said.

Her attitude was forced, cheerfulness injected into all of her words, but I could tell she was trying for me and so I just smiled along.

"Thank you."  
"Don't thank me yet, I'm taking advantage of your emotional state," she joked, "and getting you to come home with me tonight."  
I did not understand the joke entirely but she found it funny and so did I and I could tell there was a double meaning hidden there. And although everything felt wrong, one thing had clicked and I knew with that start we might be able to get the rest of the it right.

 _Regular P.O.V._

We got to the lab flat set up, where everyone was awake and waiting for us. The rush I got every time I used any of my abilities was still keeping me on my toes, I felt as if I'd taken adderall on an empty stomach, my entire body shaking slightly. I wanted to push them further. But this is exactly why I didn't. I might not know where or how to stop.

"Are you alright?" Erik asked me, concerned.

"We both are," I responded, Thor walking in a depressed daze behind me.

The ride back had consisted of almost entirely silence, broken only by the shifting movement of Thor's body as he came closer to me and rested his head on mine. I let him. The comfort of someone's touch, not in a sexual way, but the way I hadn't let myself feel as far as I could remember. Real comfort. Real feelings passing through me.

"I think everyone should rest now, we had a long day," I said, eyeing Jane who seemed ready to leap at him in hopes of her things being recovered. She got it and stayed in her place in the couch next to Darcy.

"You can take the extra mattress from my room and place it in yours for him," Erik offered.

We arranged everything and I took my pants and jacket off before Thor came into the room and looked me up and down, blood flushing his cheeks. I smiled at him.

"I'm taking a shower," I said, "you know what that is, right?"

"A bath without the comfort?" he chuckled.

"Exactly," I laughed, grabbing the large cotton shirt I used to sleep in and a clean set of underwear and heading into the adjoining room.

I washed my face, hair and body, scrubbing harshly to get the feeling of overwhelmedness out of my skin. It took scaldingly cold water and fifteen minutes of standing there without moving before I felt ready for bed. I stepped out and dried myself, brushing my long dark hair with my fingers and dressing before stepping back into the room where Thor was still awake, lost in thought staring at the ceiling.

I sat on the edge of the "bed" we'd made for him and he turned on his side to look at me. A smile that didn't quite reach his eyes came across his face and he took my hand in his larger one. I didn't know what to say, I barely understood anything that was happening. I knew he wasn't lying when he said we were friends and that every part of the stories he told me, however much it was taking me to digest them, were true. He might be brash but he's childlike in his innocence. I wish I could be the same. But I had trouble trusting anyone, believing anything. Maybe that's why this news didn't shock me much. It was hard for me to trust my own judgement in finally accepting someone's words as truth. Especially someone, that to the best of my memory, I met only a day ago.

But even without fully comprehending, I wanted to be there for him like he wanted to be for me.

"Thor?" I broke the silence.

"Hm?" his eyes were closed, his head leaning on our held hands.

"You promised to help me and I want to help you too. I'll make sure you get Mjolnir back."

"And I'll make sure you get your memories back. Whatever spell is keeping them locked away, it can be broken. I am certain if we knew what it was you could break it yourself."

"Who would take my memories? I thought you said we were all friends."

"I wonder the same thing," he admitted, "as I wonder how you ended up here. For a long time, we thought you had left of your own will but now I think there's more to it."  
"You keep saying we, who do you mean?"

He sucked in air, as if willing himself not to say anything.

"Thor?"  
"My family," he spoke slowly, "we were all quite close to you. My father saw you as the future queen of Asgard. My mother saw you as the daughter she never had. Our friends cared for you deeply. We. All of us, felt your absence."

It sounded as though something was missing, but I didn't press it. Had there been someone else?

"I missed you too, without knowing it. I think I still do."

"I'm right here."  
"I know."

I let go of his hand, crawling into my bed and facing the wall. I know he won't get much sleep after the heavy night he had. Not getting his precious Mjolnir back and being caught by a bunch of assholes who took all of his new friends' things can't be much fun. And I don't even know all of what went on inside, or in his head for that matter. I don't even know why he lost his hammer or how he came to Earth and why he's stayed.

"Ness?" he speaks after a few minutes.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything. Tomorrow we can talk. And I can explain everything I've missed."  
I don't answer for a few minutes, fearing my voice will break. My entire body feels exhausted emotionally and physically. I finally thank him and if he's awake he doesn't respond. By the time I fall asleep light is peeking through the blinds, and I ignore it and hope for an hour at best.

 **Fourth chapter! If you haven't commented yet pleaseee do! I swear it's my biggest encouragement to write more and the best way for you to give me any imput or ideas or feedback:) Hope you're liking the story so far! And there are many twists and explanations to come of course!**


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning I sit next to Erik, a large cup of black coffee in front of me to help me feel as though I've slept at all in the past few days. Jane is making eggs on the stove, Darcy's reading across from me and Thor still hasn't come out of the shower. Which he went into an hour ago.

"Should we worry?" Darcy asked, "or do you think he just has a lot of stamina to y'know?"

"I knocked like ten minutes ago, he's just really used to long showers."

"Forgive me, I am," Thor said.

A renewed smile is on his face, as if last night's draining events did not occur. He is wearing only a white towel wrapped around his middle and I can't help but stare.

"Okay, wow," Darcy says.

"Man, put some clothes on," Erik groans.

 **"** This whole setting is very… domestic," he winks at me, "I did not think it would bother you."

Erik looks between us and I just roll my eyes, standing up and leaving my dirty mug in the sink, ignoring Jane's eggs and grabbing a piece of bread and the crunchy peanut butter jar. I take a knife and a bunch of napkins too.

"I'm eating upstairs, I need some sunshine to wake up," I state.

"I shall dress and then join you," Thor nods at me.

I head to the roof and sit on the bench we placed there when we first got here for Erik to smoke on. He's been quitting ever since I met him, and refuses to let me help with a little bit of _special_ tricks. I cross my legs and place the bread on the napkin, spreading the peanut butter thickly on it, licking my fingers contently in between. I start eating, looking around trying to think only of what I see. It's an exercise I try whenever I feel like too much is resting on my chest, making it hard to function or breathe.

Suddenly, I see a black figure duck beneath the edge of the roof on the building across the street. I place the last bite of toast into my mouth and wipe my hands, standing up to see if I can see anything else. On another roof, a pair of binoculars stare back at me. I roll my eyes and storm back downstairs, bumping into Thor on the way.

"What's wrong?" he asks, holding my arms.

"Those men from yesterday, they're spying on us."

"How can you tell it's them?"

"If it's not then those men from yesterday and some new guys are spying on us."

"Should we do something?"

"No, they'll just come back. Just don't do anything stupid. Or god-ish."

"Godly?"

I roll my eyes and break out of his hold, walking down the stairs and hearing his soft laugh behind me. We walk back into the living room/kitchen thing we've got going where everyone is still sitting. I place the peanut butter back in it's place and the dirty knife in the sink.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Jane asks.

"Buying and dismantling a toaster to make a new phase meter," Darcy responds.

"Ha ha," Jane rolls her eyes. "I think we all want some answers. You might be getting the information you need but the rest of us are extremely in the dark about what the hell is going on."  
I looked at Thor with a warning. Erik and I may not have known the whole truth, but we kept the parts we knew hidden from interns like Jane and Darcy for a reason. They were very helpful, scientifically, but when it came to being involved in my life, I wanted as few people as possible.

"Your friend will explain when she is ready," Thor conceded.

"Okay, this is getting super creepy! Honestly what we saw out there was not a regular occurrence and the things you claim and the things we don't know about Anna are just adding up and my research is gone and I want-"

Jane was interrupted by a loud banging at the front glass doors. We turned to see four people, three men and a woman dressed in what seemed to be a mix between modern and medieval armour, something out of a videogame.

"Found you!" the tall, bearded redhead exclaimed happily as they all waved at a surprised but smiling Thor.

"My friends!" he exclaimed as they opened the doors and walked into his open arms, "this is good! This is good."

The first to break from the hug was the woman, beautiful and dark haired, dressed in silver and a dark shade of pink, almost red. Her eyes landed on me and her mouth fell open.

"Is- is that?" she struggled "is she?"

"Oh, yes!" Thor smiled widely, "my friends, I have found Neaessa! She's been on Midgard this whole time."  
"What a shit place to go to," the redhead joked, extending his arms and hugging me.

"Well, I don't really remember choosing it," I laughed softly.

"She has lost most of her memories," Thor explained, "but we're working on that. There isn't a spell that can't be broken."

"Oh, how I've missed you," the woman hugged me after the other man let me go.

"I-I'm sorry I can't remember any of you."

"Oh, excuse me," the redhead was proving to be the most talkative, "Lady Sif and the Warriors Three."  
"My friends, I have never been happier to see anyone," Thor put his arm on one of their shoulder's, "except of course, Ness, but the separation was longer, you will forgive me."

"Of course," the blonde man smiled, "I am Fandral. I'm certain I was the hardest to forget."

"Hogun," the man who resembled Midgardian Asians nodded.

"Volstagg," the redhead added.

"And Lady Sif," I presumed, looking at the woman who stood next to me, clearly happy to see me. I wished I could fully share her joy.

"But you should not have come," Thor shook his head.

"What?" Volstagg questioned.

"We're here to take you home!" Fandral said.

"You know I can't go home."

Everyone looked at him confused, including me.

"My father," he continued, "is dead because of me. And I must remain in exile."

I stared at him wide eyed when he said this. No wonder he had acted so miserable last night. If what he said was true and he'd just found out it was an immense weight to carry.

"Thor," Sif shook her head, "your father still lives."

Thor's eyes looked up from the ground where he'd been staring at in guilt, relief and anger mixed in them. What had made him think that? Had someone lied to him? He'd called for his father the night he arrived which meant someone yesterday informed him, however falsely, of his deceased state.

"You are certain?" Thor asked.

"Of course," Sif nodded, "he fell into an Odinsleep. But he is most certainly not dead. And you are not the sole cause of it."  
"I have an idea who might be," Thor grumbled.

Just as he said this, sounds began coming from above. We all rushed outside to see the same lights that had flashed when we both arrived coming from the sky, a sound like the clouds breaking into thunder. It was far away and we mostly saw a column of smoke. Everyone stared wide eyed as it hit the ground.

"Was somebody else coming?" Darcy asked.

We walked out of the building and onto the street where everyone seemed to be panicking at the lights now flashing from where the column had been. It looked like fire coming out of a large humanoid. As people rushed and left I turned to Jane, Darcy and Erik.

"Go," I said to them, "hide."

"What are you gonna do?" Erik asked, worried.

"She will fight with us," Volstagg said.  
"As she always has," Sif added.

"My friends, I am only a man," Thor lamented, "I will help get these people to safety so as not to get in your way or get one of you killed."

"We'll help you," Darcy nervously said, "let's get moving people!"

Everyone of them rushed into the building, ushering people out and as far away as possible as the five of us positioned ourselves in the middle of the street, weapons ready for them, and I trying to physically prepare. I found myself wishing for armour and not the dress, tights and boots I was currently wearing.

"Dress yourself," Sif spoke to me.

"I don't really own any armour on Earth."  
"You never carried it, you used your weird magics and it sort of appeared, do that!" Fandral offered.

"What did it look like? I can't just appear something I've never seen!"

"You've seen it, focus!" Sif insisted, "picture what I'm wearing but darker. Black leather, a deep blue cape. Silver plates."

I closed my eyes and conjured the best image I could of what she said. * I focused on drawing energy from within me and heard Volstagg cheering when I opened my eyes. They all clapped at the newly materialized armor I was wearing.

"It's different and somehow better," Sif smiled.

I smiled back just as the rumbling steps came closer and we all refocused on the current issue, now well suited for it. We walked towards the figure we could now see was made of metal. It's face opened and indeed fire blew out of it, burning cars and stores with a single blow. If I hadn't been present when the first Iron Man was created I would think this impossible. But clearly, impossibilities were commonplace in my life.

"Let's fuck this guy up," I said and we all strutted towards it.

"Keep it distracted," Sif smirked and ran through the side of the street.

The gas station was set on fire, causing a large explosion. Volstagg screamed and jumped on top of a car, throwing himself axe first towards the creature who with a shove threw him back almost the entire street. I turned to see him fall with an _oof_ and saw Thor looking at all of us with impotence. The thing walked towards Volstagg and opened his face, fire building up inside of him. I was about to do something when out of the roof of a building jumped Sif, landing on it's back and plunging her sword completely through it's neck. She looked smug for a second and the rest of us relieved until it fired up again, raising it's head.

It turned it's entire body, the metal parts shifting, towards her and shot at her but she jumped off evading it at the last second. The thing stood, unattaching himself from her sword easily.

"Fall back!" Sif called.

The creature now fired freely across the street, tearing down buildings and cables and poles with ease. Everyone ran back towards the end of the street while I stood my ground.

"Ness, come on!" Sif repeated herself.

I didn't answer, instead extending my arms and drawing as much energy as I could with the lack of practice I'd had. In the thirty years of memory I had only practiced when I needed to, afraid of what damage I could cause. But damage was exactly what we needed now. My hands shook as two balls of dark light formed in them.

"Hey, asshole!" I called.

The creature turned to me and I shot the energy towards him as hard as I could. Teleporting, telekinesis, even some telepathy were what I found easiest. But actual attacks I hadn't had the chance to practice. My crappy aim meant only one of the lights hit him on the shoulder. The metal shook and turned dark then completely melted, causing the arm to fall off.

"Whoo!" Volstagg cheered, "yes! That's what I'm talking about!"  
The creature looked at me and if it was possible I thought I could see even more rage than had been there before in it's nonexistent features. _Fuck._ It's armless shoulder closed itself and it started firing more wildly. At me first, but I teleported to where everyone else stood. It began shooting at everyone, glass breaking and chaos everywhere. I wasn't sure what else we could do but run, afraid to face it head on again now that we lacked the element of surprise.

Jane, Darcy and Erik ran on Thor's orders and he began walking towards us.

"Thor, no!" I yelled, "go with them!"

"Do as she says!" Sif called.

"You have done all you can," he replied.

"Stories will be told of this day," she said, "I will die a warriors death."

"Live, and tell those stories yourself."

I hadn't realized death was on the table. Weren't we superhuman? I thought Thor said we did things like this on the regular? Was this creature that bad if I was able to take one of it's arms?

"Stop the dramatics, let's keep fighting!" I shouted, the creature firing instantly at the noise making me have to teleport to the opposite side of the street.

"Go!" Thor insisted, "all of you!"

Everyone obeyed, evidently used to Thor being the one in command.

"Thor, you can't do this on your own, let me help you."  
"I can't. But I have to."

He walked armed with nothing but another of my ex's shirts and a flannel, but certain. I ran to check on the warriors, all of them bruised and scratched but only minorly. He looked at us.

"Return to Asgard," he ordered, "you must stop Loki."

"What about you?" Fandral asked.

"Loki?" I added.

Thor looked at me, something like regret in his eyes. He grabbed me by the neck and pulled me in, placing a short but hard kiss on my lips. He broke off leaving me confused and breathless… and honestly a little but aroused.

"They will tell you everything now. Even the parts I wasn't brave enough to share with you. Don't worry, my friends," he now turned to them, "I have a plan."

"Come on," Fandral nodded, pulling all of us with him. "We need to fall back. Come on."

We all huddled together at the end of the street, outside the building where we'd lived, where now a terrified Darcy looked out the window of. Jane and Erik probably on the roof. We saw Thor's tall frame walk towards the creature, unarmed, dropping the shield he'd taken from Hogun to the ground. The creature kicked a car out of the way as it neared him. I saw him speaking to the creature, but couldn't hear what he said. For a moment after he was finished talking, the creature closed it's fire hole. Was there a better word for it? Probably.

Then after turning around, in one swift movement it threw its remaining arm, slapping Thor and throwing him.

"No!" I screamed, but Sif held me back.

"Wait," she said.

Thor landed harshly, blood covering his face and staining the light grey shirt. I broke Sif's hold and ran to him, kneeling next to him. I took his face in my hands, the blood staining them.

"No, no, Thor let me help you."

"It's over," he shook his head.

"It's not."

"You'll be safe. All of you. And you'll have everything back. I have promised and promised to help you but I have not even done all that I could. There is much I did not say."

"I don't care. Don't say anything, just let us help you."

"It is not your fight."

"All your fights are ours. I understand that much."

"And you fought them well. But this one is over," he smiled, his eyes closing.

"No, no," I grabbed him harder, "you're being dramatic. You can't die from this. You can't die now!"  
He didn't answer and I started truly feeling the weight of what was happening. My feelings taking the usual long time to catch up with me, but just as the tears started forming in my eyes, frustration and sadness mixing in the pit of my stomach I heard a noise behind me and turned to see something in the sky, flying towards us. I gasped as it rushed quickly to us.

"Ness!" Sif shouted, "move now!"

I stood, taking a few steps back just as Thor's hand shot up. I had no memory of it, but I knew what had landed in his hand. A giant surge of lightning connected Mjolnir to the sky and Thor's entire body seemed to be enveloped in it. His entire body was covered with armour, piece by piece building onto him as if from thin air. I smiled widely, my heart beating fast.

Lightning began hitting every spot near him, the creature now turning to look at him once again. He threw his hammer at it, hitting it once on the face and again as he called it back with his hand and it landed impeccably. I laughed, pure joy filling me. All the warriors cheered, Sif running and hugging me.

"Yes!" Fandral shouted.

Within a minute, Thor flew towards the sky, a tornado of blue lightning and dust surrounding him and the creature and with a few hits, it landed on the ground, armless and dead. Completely. Thor walked towards us in full armor and an enormous red cape, Mjolnir in his hand, his blonde hair blowing in the wind. He looked even better than he did shirtless. If that was possible.

"We must go to the Bifrost site," he spoke. "I would have words with my brother."

"Loki?" I asked.

"Yes," he looked at me. "And I do think he will want to talk to you too."  
"I'm not sure how much I really feel like talking to him, he sounds like a dick."

"He is," Sif rolled her eyes. "But this is the first time you've noticed it."

"I've heard of complicated siblings, but he just tried to kill you," I said to Thor, making him laugh.

"It's happened before, just not so," he tilted his head and shrugged, "directly."

"Excuse me," all of us saw Agent Coulson running to us, "Ed? I don't think you've told me the whole truth."

I snorted at the use of my ex's name. If he'd known his surname the trouble he would've gotten in could have been priceless.

"Know this, Son of Coul," Thor looked at him, "you and I fight for the same cause. The protection of this world. From this day forward you can count me as your ally, if you return the items you stole from our friends."

"We actually want to ask your friends for help with our research," he agreed, "they seem to know more than the average garage lab scientist."

"Alright, good," Thor consented, then turned to me. "How would you like to go home now?"

 _Home._ What a foreign word and an even more foreign concept. I nodded.

"Let's go kick your brother's ass."

 ***A/N: picture something like Valkyrie's black clothes in Thor Ragnarok for her armour, but with a little more protection and a darker blue.**

 **Also, yes the kiss happened on the fifth chapter but it was an "I thought I was going to die" kiss, not becoming a thing. Yet. Maybe. We still haven't seen Loki, or Ness hasn't. hee. Trust me the actual relationships are more slow burn and sexual tension than you wish they were don't worry.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So some good news: we get our first pre-earth flashback this chapter. I hope you like it and to everyone who wants more Loki this one's for you.**

We had been standing on the circle of symbols where we first found Thor for a couple of minutes, waiting for something to happen.

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost!" Thor called, not for the first time.

"Could he be off duty?" I asked.

"Heimdall doesn't take breaks. This is my brother's work."  
"I haven't met this guy and he is really pissing me off."

"He does that," Sif muttered besides me.

"Heimdall!" Volstagg called now.

They kept shouting for him and I was unsure what to do or what was happening. I felt impatient for this Heimdall person to help us – I didn't really understand how – to cross the so called Rainbow Bridge. I wanted to go to Asgard. I wanted to find answers, real ones, and to actually remember, not just through stories but by myself.

"We are stranded," Hogun sighed defeatedly.

"Heimdall!" Thor shouted, frustrated, "If you can hear me we need you now! Heimdall!"

Everyone's faces were starting to look hopeless when suddenly the sky twisted and the now familiar burst of light came upon the ground. Thor smiled, turning and urging us all on. We stepped into the circle, the light surrounding us and almost instantly, I felt my entire body being lifted off the ground, rising and rising quickly. Sif smiled at me and held my hand. All around us I saw every color imaginable in flashes, twisting and turning. I felt elated, as if I were on drugs. It was fascinating.

It didn't last long though, and we were suddenly standing upright, walking into a circular room decorated in gold, a man holding a sword standing in the platform in the center of it.

"Get him to the healing room!" Thor didn't stutter, "leave my brother to me."

He rushed off across the bridge that connected this structure to to the rest of the city. I couldn't believe my eyes as I walked out slowly. The bridge did it's name justice, rainbow coloured and surrounded by water on either side. At the end, it led to a collection of beautiful buildings, surrounded by mountains and trees. In the center of all of it, a structure unlike any I had seen before, golden and enormous.

"Home," Sif said to me, wrapping an arm around my back.

I might not remember her, but the companionship that radiated off of her made me like her as if I'd known her for a lifetime. Which I had. Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun walked off to the palace quickly in search for a healer. I tried to catch my breath while staring at all of this. It wasn't often that something hit me quickly but this was a sight.

"You have been missed, Lady Neaessa," Heimdall came to us.

"As have you," I smiled.

"The princes asked me to look for you many times, but however it is you hid, you did it well."  
"I don't think I did it on purpose."  
"Perhaps," he shrugged. "But I'm glad to see you safely returned. I am certain after we fix this mess the biggest cause for celebration will not be ridding ourselves of the Frost Giants as much as ridding ourselves of your absence."

"That might be overstating it," I laughed, "but the sentiment is nice."  
"It is not one bit exagerated, trust me," Sif said, "now let's go help our friend. Gods know he could never manage on his own."

After what I was certain was the worst mix up in history, we found the man Sif said was the Allfather, Odin. Thor's father, to be precise. I felt awkward standing there but when the woman in the room with him turned and saw me, her face showed shock and joy together.

"Oh, my sweet child," she rushed to me in a hug, "I am so glad you are here," she pulled away, taking my face in her hands, "please. You have to help them. We thought sending you away was for the best but… Thor was unhinged and Loki drew even more into himself, let envy consume him. You need to make him snap out of it. He'll listen to you."

"Why would he?" I asked.

"Do you not have your memories back?"

"No, I don't know how to get them."

"You put them in that necklace of yours, I help you cast the spell," she said, "you promised you'd give it to someone who would return it to you as soon as they saw you."

"Thor has not given anything to me."

"Of course not," she smiled sadly, "it wasn't him you trusted with this. Find Loki before it's too late."

"Loki? The homicidal brother?"

Frigga laughed, patting my cheeks.

"I am glad to see you are even less careful with your words now. But go."

As she said this, the white haired man on the bed rose. He looked at us, his eyes tearful. Frigga rushed to his side.

"We have to go now," he said, only holding her hand briefly, before grabbing me and rushing to the door.

We ran through the palace, and I urged myself not to stare at the things I was seeing around me, even though every bit of it seemed an amazing mystery to me. I reminded myself after we fixed whatever was going on we'd have time to fix me and I could explore this place however much I wanted. Just as we were out of the door and nearing the rainbow bridge, an explosion unlike anything I had seen flashed before our eyes, almost blinding me. It the bridge that was being torn apart.

"Loki?" I asked.

"No," Odin said, "that's Thor."

He whistled, a white horse quickly running to his side. He mounted it and extended a hand to me, which I took for him to pull me up. We rushed to the place where the explosion had come from, seeing Thor standing on the edge of the collapsed bridge, looking down at something.

"Don't let go, brother!" he called.

"My sons!" Odin screamed, "you must stop this!"

I stayed back, unsure if I would help or make things worse.

"I could've done it, father!" I heard the voice screaming from under the bridge, holding on with a single hand, "I could've done it! For you! For all of us!"  
"No, Loki," Odin spoke after a moment.

I saw the hand beginning to let go and with an animalistic urge I ran forward.

"Loki, no!" Thor shouted just as the last finger uncurled and he began to fall.

"NO!" the loudest scream I could muster came out of me as I stood at the edge, seeing the green caped figure falling. In the last second he saw me and his face changed from complete numbness to a face of regret and sorrow. The already teary eyes on him now flowed freely. He screamed but he was too far away for us to hear now. I saw the black hole swallow his retreating figure, this unknown man which my chest was pounding for for some reason.

Nothing else Thor or his father said registered as I fell on my knees. My memories were gone for good now. And with them, _Loki_ who I did not know but I understood now was important to me in no small manner.

Thor helped me to my feet, holding me tightly and walking me back to the palace. Everything was a blur until I realized we were in someone's room, a large and elegant space which I did not have the will to register. He lay me down on the bed, speaking words softly which I nodded to but didn't really pay any mind.

"Would you like me to stay?"

I shook my head.

"Let's talk tomorrow. I think I need a moment for myself."

 ** _Thirty Years Ago, Asgard_**

 _The Allfather had summoned me only a few days ago and explained the predicament. It was quite simple, honestly, and ten years was but the blink of an eye to us. I could take ten years away from this place. Away from my friends. Away from him._

 _But Odin knew me well, he practically raised me along with his sons. He knew I wouldn't last a single day if I thought of how miserable everyone would be not knowing where I was. So I spent two days perfecting the spell, working every glitch out until I finally figured it out with the help of Frigga and many, many library books._

 _To leave my memories and regain them when I came back, I'd have to place them into something. An object of great emotional worth. It took me a while before I settled on the one thing I couldn't live without. If I wasn't going to be me for some time, I could not have it. The silver necklace was made of a now extinct metal found only in my home realm. This was the last of it, crafted by my father upon my birth. A thin chain and a charm the size of a coin with a picture of my favorite moon, the one where my mother rested, after she died in childbirth._

 _It was custom for our people to go to rest in stars or comets, but becoming a moon was the highest honor. And in the necklace I carried that with me. My mother had been a great woman and she would want me to be one as well. I sealed the spell, making sure it would only start the moment I left Asgard. I did not know where I was going, not even Odin did, to avoid temptations. Only Heimdall would, but Frigga had cast a cloaking spell on me so that after I arrived no one could see me. Ten years and then I'd come back. It couldn't be too terrible. Besides, the Allfather said it had to be this way, and I trusted his judgement._

 _He knew his sons were growing apart every day more and more. Thor's friends alienated Loki, and so my time kept being competed for, instead of all of us being together, as when we were children. I understood the feelings we had now for each other were not childlike, and that having two brothers feel the same way about one girl was inconvenient. Competing for a throne was more than enough to cause conflict. Odin needed them to grow, to prepare them each for the role they would have on Asgard and in the universe and for them to accept it. I was in the way._

 _He wanted me to marry Thor of course, the heir to the throne, although he was not the eldest of the two. I had come to realize this as the years passed and he became more and more uncomfortable with my closeness with his other son. I didn't acknowledge having feelings for either of them directly, I knew how much of a mess that would be. Instead I loved them both dearly. And I refused to give it much thought, instead blocking my head and heart from the situation._

 _The day arrived when I had to leave for my so called mission to find a relic that had fallen into the hands of creatures who would not know how to use it's power for good. It was not untrue, and the book that was being sent with me contained everything I had to know about it. For ten years I would not know my own name or my past, but I would know there was a mission for me to fulfill and that after the ten years passed, I could cast the uncloaking spell written on the last page of the book. Then would let Heimdall see me and bring me back. It was simple. It could not fail. And it would help._

 _I held the necklace in my hand, planning on giving it to Thor. I walked into the usual room where we spent time with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, the only girl I'd grown up around, whom I loved dearly. I expected them all to be there, but only he was, throwing small knives at a column. He turned when he heard the door open and smiled at me, smugness clear in his features. That had increased as he grew and all the ladies at court began making eyes at him, servants making him offers inside his chambers which I knew he didn't all refuse._

 _"_ _Ah, Ness, I'm glad you are here," he said, setting the knives down, "my father said there was something you wanted to say."_

 _His voice was suggestive, flirting. In public he respected me, treated me like a fellow warrior, perhaps only a few touches showing he saw me as more. But in private he'd sometimes let himself go. I did not mind it most of the time, I enjoyed playing games with him, flirting back and making him flustered. But right now, the gravity of the matter weighed on me._

 _"_ _Yes. I'm leaving today."_

 _"_ _For how long?"_

 _"_ _I do not know. But I wanted to say goodbye."_

 _"_ _This sentimentality is rare of you."_

 _"_ _Isn't it?"_

 _"_ _Is everything alright?"_

 _"_ _Of course, majesty," I jested, finally smirking at him, running a finger down his arm._

 _I guess I couldn't ask for an honest goodbye without honesty. And I couldn't give him that, he'd stop me._

 _"_ _Oh, so now I'm your majesty?" he smiled, grabbing my hand, "and earlier this morning you called me a bilgesnipe."_

 _"_ _You were certainly eating like one," I took my hand back._

 _"_ _Very well," he said, stepping closer. "Where are you traveling to?"_

 _"_ _That's for another time," I said, his nearness making me whisper, "it will make for a great story, I'm sure."_

 _"_ _Perhaps a song could be written of it."  
"Perhaps."_

 _He was closing the distance between us and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise but I took a step back._

 _"_ _I guess we'll see soon," I shrugged, smiling and turning towards the door. Thor laughed behind me._

 _"_ _You don't want company on this epic travel?"_

 _"_ _Then I'd have to share my song, wouldn't I?"_

 _Closing the door behind me, I realised I hadn't given him the necklace. Had I not wanted to? I took it out of my pocket staring at it, considering leaving it to him. Would Sif be a better option? None of the Warriors Three would see it as important enough. But saying goodbye to Sif felt wrong. I didn't want to remember her as sad and I knew she was the one person I wouldn't hold back my tears with. My defenses with her were nonexistent._

 _So it left him._

 _I found him in the gardens, which were quite full with the soft windy day and the sun only shining through thin clouds. Loki walked in his full armor, green and black and gold. His hair reached the nape of his neck, and even from the back he was unmistakable. I felt nervous walking up to him and comfortable at the same time. It was always that way with him. It felt like your favorite wine, comforting and buzzing all at once. Like a book I never tired of reading because every time the ending seemed to change and surprise me._

 _I was about to touch his shoulder when I heard his voice behind me._

 _"_ _You're getting sloppy," and I could hear the smirk in his voice._

 _The clone in front of me disappeared and I turned to face him._

 _"_ _I was distracted."_

 _"_ _I could tell. My backside does tend to be a nice view," he laughed._

 _His flirting wasn't practiced, like Thor's. He genuinely enjoyed making me laugh and blush and have an answer for every little thing he said. Every day it seemed like more people refused to answer anything he said at all. He was bookish and thinner than his brother, and less boisterous. And magic, the way he practiced it, was said to come from evil places. All my magic I drew from darkness and I knew it was not so._

 _"_ _It's not like you weren't behind me looking at mine as well," I teased._

 _"_ _That's the reason I learned the spell, of course."_

 _We laughed, but he stopped as two guards passed by and glared at him. Another reason he wasn't very liked was because I often rejected invitations to events and parties, prefering not to attend anywhere he wasn't invited. It made for very uncomfortable dinners or envious guards who said he wasn't good enough to be with me._

 _Of course, ladies found him attractive as well, and any of them would quite literally kill for a chance to get looked at by Loki. But the attention was often directed to Thor when he walked into the room, with his loudness and sociability._

 _"_ _So you're leaving?" he said.  
"Who told you?"_

 _"_ _I sort of saw you speaking to my brother," he admitted, a hint of jealousy in his voice._

 _"_ _You sneaky bastard! And here I came ready to break your heart with the news myself."_

 _"_ _Don't worry, the unwitnessed heartbreak was much more dramatic."_

 _"_ _Everything about you is dramatic."_

 _We both smiled and I caved to my body's cravings and wrapped my arms around his middle, burying my head deep in his chest. There wasn't a smell as enticing and comforting in the world as his. I felt his arms circle my waist, making it tingle everywhere they touched through the thin fabric of my dark dress. His skin was always cold to the touch, which was nice, since mine always seemed to be burning hot._

 _"_ _Don't get in any trouble while I'm gone," I said into his chest, "it's way more fun when I'm here to see you get punished."_

 _"_ _I'll try not to," I felt his laugh against my body._

 _We broke away, the hug too long to be appropriate, especially in the public gardens of the palace. I felt people's gazes, which as usual I ignored._

 _"_ _I might be getting dirty while I'm there," I said, "I don't want this harmed. Can you take care of it for me?"_

 _"_ _Your moonstone?" he was surprised, "I've never seen you take it off."_

 _"_ _It's a special occasion," I shrugged, "but you have to promise to give it back. The second you see me when I arrive."  
"Alright," he laughed, "or I might sell it and buy myself a lovely new stallion."_

 _"_ _Loki," I spoke seriously, which I rarely did, making his features straighten up. "I mean it. The second I get here don't listen to any bullshit I say just put that back on my neck, okay?"_

 _"_ _That is vague and kind of worrying," he said, taking the necklace and putting it on his own neck, tucking it into his tunic, "but okay. I promise."_

 _"_ _Good," I smiled again, "now I really have to go. Don't miss me too much."_

 _"_ _You flatter yourself thinking I'll miss you at all."_

 _"_ _Or do I?" I smirked, and then walked away without looking away from him._

 _"_ _Don't be too long," he called when I was a ways away._

 _"_ _Hm, I don't know," I shrugged, jokingly, "just give me a reason to want to come back."_

 _I felt something behind me and turned to see another clone of him._

 _"_ _I'll give you the best reason," he whispered, his head next to my ear, making me shiver._

 _I wanted to feel his touch but it was just an image and it broke away from me, smirking._

 _"_ _But you'll have to guess what it is until you come back."_

 _His image fully dissipated and I didn't turn around. I knew if I did I wouldn't be able to walk away so instead I headed straight across the palace. Across the rainbow bridge and into the room where Heimdall was waiting with Odin and Frigga. I felt tears stinging my eyes but I didn't know why. They both hugged me and I stepped into the light._

 _"_ _Ready?" Frigga said._

 _I nodded. I let the bridge fully take me in and the last thought I had before everything blacked out was realisation. I was crying out of fear. I was terrified that in the ten years I'd forget Loki, he'd forget me too. And the reason for wanting me to come back. Then everything turned dark._


	7. Chapter 7

The sun rose like it did every day, and I stood with it from my bed, determined not to act like I had last night. Whoever he was, he was lost along with my memories. And if I was not getting either of them back, I'd live without them. The way I had for what I would now call my entire life. Whatever happened before, only what Thor told me was important. I needed to move forward. There was so much more ahead than I left behind, or so I told myself.

A knock came at my door, and I let in two maids who dressed me in silk, the colours I loved on all the clothes. They fit me perfectly.

"When were these made?" I asked them.

"They're your old clothes, my lady," the young girl responded, "would you prefer we find something new?"

"No, these are perfect. Thank you."

Outside my room, Thor was waiting, a smile on his face. Tired but happy. As we should all be. Right? He extended his arm to me, which I took gladly, lost in the enormity of this single corridor, let alone the palace.

"I hope you're as hungry as I am," he said.

"I think I'm hungrier, actually."

"Good," he looked at me, "then you'll be the one eating like a bigelsnipe this morning."

"A what?" I laughed.

"Bigelsnipe! Are they not found in Midgard?"

"Sure," I joke.

He doesn't understand the sarcasm and just smiles with satisfaction. We arrived at a long table where his family and our friends sat, along with people I hadn't yet met. They all cheered when we walked in. It looked like a banquet for a wedding feast, not breakfast, but I accepted it gladly.

"How are you feeling dear?" Frigga asked me, a hand on my arm.

"I'm well, thank you. It's good to be home."

"I hope the feeling of familiarity will grow as time passes," she smiled, "and it's good to have you. With the destroyed Rainbow Bridge there will be no lack of things to do. Your help will be much needed."

"And completely at your disposal, of course," there was silence and then I said, "and I'm sorry for your loss."

"I am sorry for yours too."

"My Queen," I said, "why did I stay on Earth for so long?"

"Ah," she sighed, "well, you see, we sent a book of spells with you. It contained information that would help us find you after only ten years, but something went wrong. I suppose it is lost forever. But we knew you weren't. We looked for you, but couldn't openly tell everyone why we had sent you away."

"Why not?"

"My sons had enough rivalry without stating it openly. I did not wish to encourage it. Or the anger they would feel towards me and their father."

"Well, it was for the best, I suppose."

"I wonder sometimes if it really was."

After breakfast Thor guided me through the various halls of the palace. I memorized as much as I could, and tried creating a mental picture so if I could not find it walking I might be able to teleport. How I wished I had the ability to teleport to Earth now, if only to say goodbye to Erik, and even Jane and Darcy. I hadn't thought of the possibility of not going back and I felt guilty I had left so mindlessly.

"Your favorite place, of course," Thor said, pointing to the open double doors next to us, which revealed inside the largest library I had ever seen.

Books upon books sat on every shelf, three floors and corridors which I could see no end to. My mouth was wide open, which Thor laughed at.

"You'll come back here later, it is not really my type of place."

"Yes," I agreed, a little breathless from the amazing image before us.

We walked a while longer, until we arrived at the training grounds. Sif and the Warriors Three were already there practicing and they called for us to join them as soon as they saw us.

"Later," Thor placated them.

I found it amazing how he had not stopped smiling for a moment. I was happy for him, he had his father, his home, and his hammer back. And me, I suppose. I tried to let his joy rub off on me, but after thirty years of not finding anything, finding something halfways made me feel… defeated.

"My mother said you will train with her, to relearn the magic you have forgotten," Thor said, taking a sit on the bench facing the training grounds, and patting the spot next to him.

"She offered, I was grateful," I sat, "there is much I have to learn."

"And much you still know. She was pleasantly surprised."

"It's not magic I remembered, it's the other gifts. The once I was born with."

"Still, you used them quite well," he put his hand on my knee, "you are an amazing warrior. I think Asgard is as happy as I am to have you back."

We talked comfortably for a while about the restoration of the rainbow bridge, the other ways they could travel between realms to start working on calming the chaos of Loki's attempt at destructing Jotunheim. Thor explained what his father had just told him. That Loki was his adoptive brother, that he was a frost giant, like the ones from the planet he tried to tear down. He explained everything, answering the myriad of questions I had. We ate when we got hungry, sparred for a while and spent the entire day together, my anxiety slowly lifting. I really enjoyed his presence.

In the night, we attended a feast, which made the breakfast we had look like a toddler's meal in comparison. Drinks flowed freely and music played loudly. We danced with the soldiers, with Sif and the warriors and together when the slower songs came on. It was fun and exciting and I felt at peace that this would be my home now. It was strange in the best way.

Days turned to weeks turned to months in a blur. I slept better than I ever had, but still struggled with recurrent nightmares and insomnia some days. Every morning I would bathe, dress and break fast with either the Warriors and Sif. Then we would train, explore the city, talk. I would work with Frigga, every day understanding more and more about what I could do. In the afternoons when nothing else was going on, I would sneak off to the library for hours until Thor came and found me. Sif said I'd done the same before, usually with Loki. I couldn't picture it.

We helped with the rebuilding of the bridge, which with Heimdall in charge was extremely efficient. And at night, we all had dinner with Odin and Frigga at night, full of lively conversation and laughter.

There were moments where Thor and I would be alone after dinner, as he walked me to my room. He was busy most of the time, as was I and when we found these times we accepted them happily. We would talk about everything and he'd sometimes tell me stories from before. Usually funny ones, but once or twice he would tell the more serious ones. He talked about everything except his brother. It was like he had never existed.

And things went on like this for a long time until one day when Heimdall summoned Odin, Frigga, Thor and I. He'd been seeing everything, but most news he only mentioned casually, so if he was alarmed that meant something big had to be happening.

It was the middle of the day, I was sweaty and in my light training armor when I walked into the throne room, where Odin and Heimdall were waiting. Frigga followed behind me a few seconds later.

"What has happened?" she asked.

"It is best if we wait for Thor," Odin replied.

"Is it the bridge?" she said.

"No, the construction is still going well," Heimdall spoke in his smooth voice, "this is another matter entirely."  
Thor walked in just then, his face red from training like I had been. It made his mother look between us, giving us a look which made Thor blush further as I turned away, biting my lip to hold back an embarrassed laugh.

"Now," Odin said, "tell them what you have told me."

"Very well," Heimdall nodded, "it seems Earth is in danger. The Chitauri, an ancient army is waiting for a doorway to open and let them in. An infinity stone, in the shape of the Tesseract has been on Midgard for some time now, kept by an organization in which your friend Erik works."  
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" I said.  
"The men who tried to take my hammer," Thor grumbled.

"Yes," Heimdall nodded, "but they have just lost it. It should have never been left in such unprotected hands, but without the means to get to it we just assumed we would retrieve it when the Rainbow Bridge was up. Now it has been stolen by someone who means to abuse it's power."

"Who would be stupid enough to take Earth with an army that would destroy it?" I asked.

"Well, who else?" Odin chuckled, "My son. Loki."

 **A/N: Kind of a filler/short chapter because the time in between these two films is something I didn't really feel like building up on too much. Buuuut I'm getting to writing the next one which will kind of start touching up on the Avengers movie and hopefully it will be up by tonight. I have a lot of time this month bc all my exams were projects and I did them super early so I plan to keep updating quickly! Please do review I swear those are my biggest motivators to write faster and better! Anyway thanks for reading this.**


	8. Chapter 8

The room was visibly tense. Everyone was digesting the new information, knowing that we couldn't allow for this to happen. For the people of Earth. For the peace of the nine realms. For the fact that Loki was a very messy bitch right now and letting him rule would not turn out well anywhere.

"So what will we do? Is there a way to arrive there soon enough without the bridge?" Thor asked.

"It would take a lot of energy, it's another realm, we can't just jump on a ship and land there," I said.

"I will provide the energy, or most of it," Odin replied, "you and Frigga will need to help me with the locating spells and the teleportation. You will go tomorrow. I need to rest now."

We all nodded and he dismissed us with the wave of a hand. Everyone left and almost outside the door, he called my name. I turned around.

"Yes, Allfather?"

"I want to talk to you for a moment."

"What troubles you?" I came closer to the throne.

"I have seen the way my son looks at you," he said, "I have seen it for thousands of years, but it became stronger when you came back. You are not children anymore. And I know you care for him too."

I nodded. Feelings were never something I was good at expressing, I preferred showing them physically or through jokes. This actual addressing of the way Thor and I had been acting lately made me feel like I was on trial.

"You are both too proud to say anything, you think you have all the time in the world, you hold back. But I surely don't need to remind you of the duty that will befall Thor one day. And the person he will share it with."

"You don't, my king."

"Good," he stood up, "just keep that in mind. You are headed towards Loki who will no doubt lie to you, make you think things that are untrue. Trust the truth we both know. There is Thor and there is you. And that is how it should be."

This was a lot. Aside from sparse touches and moments in which, yes, we both felt physically attracted to each other, stood to close, stared too much, we never truly commented on our feelings. Our bond was strong, he felt like the link between every part of me, forgotten and not. He'd found me and since spent every minute making me as happy as he could, helping me in every way. But old habits die hard, and I pushed him away, afraid of what actually opening myself to him would mean. On Earth every relationship I had meant nothing, it was purely physical, or a friendship, like Erik's. This was new to me. I felt like a teenager learning about hard feelings for the first time, excited and terrified all at once.

"Thank you for the wise words, my king," I replied.

Then we parted ways. I wondered why he was so worried. Surely, he saw that there was no need to rush anything? The feelings were there, never looked at directly, but how would anything on Earth could possibly change that?

 ** _Thor's P.O.V._**

I sat in my mother's study, surrounded by the pillows and decorations she had all around the room. The center had been cleared out, where now my father stood, summoning as much energy and magic as he could. Heimdall was helping Ness with the locating spell so that she could support my father in the teleportation. My mother supervised, seeing her greatest achievement, the restoration of Ness's magic before her own eyes.

She had been acting strangely ever since yesterday, as was expected. She became even more worried when Heimdall mentioned Loki had taken her friend Erik hostage and had him under a spell of sorts.

"It is ready," she said.

I stood and walked up next to Ness, both of us in full armor. I grabbed her tightly for the jump we were about to go through.

"Now!" the Allfather shouted.

And we jumped into the darkness that opened up in the ground.

It was nothing like the Rainbow Bridge. This was colourless and it felt as though we were spinning. I could see no end to the darkness and wondered if we were in the tightest space in the universe or the widest. It lasted a mere twenty seconds before we were stumbling onto the ground. We landed roughly, covering ourselves in dirt and pine needles.

I offered my arm to Ness, who took it and stood a bit dizzily.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Any minute he will pass above us," she explained, "he is on an aircraft."

"Very well. Wait here."

The dark flying vessel came into view and I spun my hammer until it pulled me off the ground. Thunder began crackling through the night sky, thick with clouds. I felt all the rage in me rising. All he had done to hurt our family, our friends… and yet what angered me the most was how he'd let go that day. He did not listen. He did not stay and ask for forgiveness and work to solve everything, no. He let go and even though he lived he did not bother to return, but instead found his way to this planet with plans to destroy it.

I landed on the roof of the aircraft with a heavy thud. As if wanting me to enter they opened the back of the ship. I flew down to it where what looked like a robot stared at me. I had not known humans could make such advanced artificial soldiers. With a single blow I sent it flying towards the front of the ship. I turned and saw Loki sitting in a bench, his face showing fear at my arrival.

I grabbed him by the neck, spinning Mjolnir and flying us both out of the ship, thunder around us. I pointed us to the nearest piece of ground I could land on, a hard rock cliff and threw my brother on the ground gracelessly. He fell on his back but laughed anyway.

"Where is the tesseract?" I asked as calmly as I could with my blood boiling.

"I missed you too," he chuckled, still laying on the rocks.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?"

"Oh, you should thank me," he sat up, "with the Bifrost gone how much energy did the Allfather have to conjure to summon you here?"

I grunted, grabbing him forcefully by the neck to make him stand.

"I though you dead."

"Did you mourn?"

"We all did. Our father-"

"Your father," he raised a finger to interrupt me, then pulled himself away. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?"

He walked around me, making me turn to face him once again. Thoughts ran through my head about how every idea he had was mistaken. If he could only listen.

"We were raised together," I spoke, feeling broken and angry at the same time, "we played together, we fought together! Do you remember none of that?"

"I remember a shadow," he finally turned around and looked at me. "Living in the shade of your greatness. Losing everything and everyone to you!" he screamed the last part but then shook his head and laughed, "and then I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I, who was, and should be king!"

"You let go," I reminded him, "the throne meant nothing. It should not have torn us apart."

"It only means nothing to you because you've always had it. You appreciate nothing because you never had to fight for it."

"So you take an innocent world as recompense for your imagined slights?" I walked up to him, "no. The Earth is under my protection, Loki."

"And you're doing a marvelous job with that," he laughed, "the humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret. I mean to rule them, and why should I not?"

"You think yourself above them?"

"Well, yes."

"Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. A throne would suit you ill."

His face contorted in anger and he pushed my chest, walking away once again to the edge of the cliff.

"I've seen worlds you've never known about!" he shouted, "I have grown, _Odinson,_ in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power?" I interrupted, "who controls the would-be king?"

"I am a king!"

"Not here!" I shook his shoulders, "you give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream!" I felt my chest heaving, clenching. "You come home."

I took his neck in my hands and saw a hint of wanting in his features before he shook his head and laughed once more.

"I don't have it."

I called Mjolnir to me realising there was nothing but threats that would allow for reason to enter his head now.

"You need the Cube to bring me home," he shrugged, "but I've sent it off, I know not where."

"You listen well, brother," I was pointing my hammer at him when I felt a hard, cold metal pushing me off my feet harshly, all it's strength sending me flying through the air, until I landed harshly on the dry earth for the second time today. My mood was getting worse and worse and someone would be receiving the worst of it.

 _((A/N: for the next scene to make sense, I altered things and Steve puts Loki back on the ship before heading to stop the fight, so that's why he hasn't seen Ness is there))_

 ** _Regular P.O.V._**

I heard the crash a few meters away after minutes of watching Thor and his brother discuss by climbing a tree. I did not hear what they were saying but I saw the anger radiating off of them until something tore through the sky, bringing Thor down into the woods with it.

I teleported to where the noise of the crash came from, seeing Thor standing from the ground, wrath coming in waves off of him. A few feet across, stood the man I recognized as Tony Stark, fully suited as Iron Man. I admired his intelligence. Not so much what little I knew of his personality. He opened the helmet of his suit and through Thor's rage I could see surprise.

"Do not touch me again," he seethed.

"Then don't take my stuff," Stark replied.

They had not seen me but I stepped forward now, next to Thor, making Tony stare me up and down.

"He is not yours," I said. "I would think you'd be grateful to rid yourselves of him."

"Rid ourselves of him, yes," Tony shrugged, "without getting that magic blue cube first? Don't think so."

"You have no idea what you are dealing with," Thor grunted.

"Uh, Shakespeare in the park?" he joked, looking around, "doth mother know you weareth her drapes?"

"This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice."

"He gives up the Cube, he's all yours," he closed his suit's helmet, "until then: stay out of the way."

He turned around and began walking off and with the amount of anger I knew Thor had in him at the moment, I knew this could not end well.

"Tourist," Stark muttered.

Welp. He was asking for it. Thor threw his hammer with a grunt, not using his full force, but still knocking the metal clad man through a few trees and landing him harshly on the ground. Thor called his hammer back to his hand where it sat promptly. He spun it as Stark stood up, shaken and with a dented suit. He pointed his hand at him and shot Thor suddenly, taking him by surprise. What the fuck happened to communication?

Thor pointed Mjolnir to the sky, summoning a large lightning bolt. I rolled my eyes, considering whether to stop the fight or let them swing their dicks around. Thor pointed his hammer at the suit which looked even more fried now. Fine. However entertaining it was probably a better idea to stop this. Loki was still free and he could get away any second. Just as Tony blasted once again I threw my arms up, stopping the energy mid air and throwing it up to the sky where it blasted harmlessly.

"Stop this!" I barked.

"So the princess fights too," Tony looked at me, head tilted, "I did fantasize of Xena growing up, nice to meet you."

"Neaessa, move," Thor grumbled, his anger making him want to keep fighting.

"You haven't had enough?" Stark asked him.

"As if you were putting up such a good fight," Thor replied.

Stark laughed and quickly blasted Thor again, who threw himself at the other man hammer first, sending them both flying. So much for stopping this. I watched them push and shove each other against the side of the mountain. They kept fighting until they landed on another spot on the ground which I promptly teleported to just as a metal disk flew between them, making them halt and look at where it came from.

"Hey! That's enough."

Wow. Okay. Captain America. So pretty much everyone I ever read about or knew was important in any way on Earth was here. Fighting the guy I was with. Great. Remind me to be the one in charge of interplanetary relations in the future. Steve Rodgers jumped down from the tree trunk he'd been perched on, landing on one knee. He was so aggressively American it was making me nervous.

"Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here," he said, looking between Thor and I.  
"We've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!" Thor spoke angrily.

Was there an Asgardian version of xanax? I felt like he needed it right now. Between the wormhole travel which was terrible, the fight with his brother, Iron Man, and now this I knew anything the Captain said would make him snap. Shit.

"Then prove it. Put the hammer down."

And of all the things he could've said.

"Uh, no, yeah," Tony shook his head, "bad call. He loves his hammer."

Thor smacked it against Stark's chest sending him flying back and almost hitting a tree, which I stopped him from doing. He might be wearing a suit but he's only human and all this couldn't exactly feel nice. He landed softly and looked up at me, confused but grateful. I heard Thor shout behind me but it was too late to do anything.

"You want me to put the hammer down?" he bellowed.

I turned in time to see him jump high into the air, ready to pounce on Captain America, who kneeled to the ground, protecting himself with the thick shield which in a flash thought I hoped was somehow enchanted. Mjolnir landed against it sending a wave of energy flying between the two objects, making Thor fall back on his ass, dust rise everywhere, trees break or bend heavily around us. I covered myself and Tony with a dark blue energy shield until it ended.

The dust began to clear and everyone stood up again. The four of us looked at each other in a circle, everyone quiet and breathing heavily.

"Are we done here?" I finally asked. None of them spoke but they all stood back or nodded. Great. This was a nice welcome back.

 **A/N: the reason I clarified the thing about Loki not seeing Ness will become clearer in the next chapter. But yeah it's plot relevant. Soooo second movie started, what do you think? There's still so much left to cover, the first Thor movie was the one that took the least amount of chapters since a lot of it's plot isn't really relevant to my OC, but things will take a steadier pace now. Let me know what you think and thank you for sticking to the story so far!**


	9. Chapter 9

The aircraft Thor had stopped was flown directly to the enormous vessel they introduced to us as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier. Of course they had to be involved in this. Agent Coulson, who we had previously met, flew a second aircraft out to the woods and picked the four of us up. He was awkward the whole trip, explaining where we were going, apologizing for stuttering and looking wide eyed, mostly at Steve Rodgers.

We finally landed on the helicarrier which was intense to see to say the least. It was like a floating military compound. I felt tiny walking through it. Thor stayed next to me until we reached the conference room, where a short redheaded woman was sitting along with a man in a purple button down, who stood behind a chair, fidgeting. Stark had taken off at some point when we arrived, probably to freshen up.

Cap stayed standing, as did Thor. I sat down across from everyone, giving Thor some space to think. I looked at the dozens of people working endlessly on computers. It reminded me of Jane, Darcy and Erik. I worried for their fate if the Chitauri came, and for Erik's current state. Everyone was distraught, wrapped up within themselves and no introductions had been made.

A flicker came from the table which I realized with a start doubled as a screen. I looked at the woman who tapped it nimbly, making an image appear. Was it a recording? I leaned slightly to see it was footage inside the ship. Of the glass cage where they were keeping Loki. The woman turned on the sound and I leaned back in my seat, settling for listening. Seeing Thor's brother brought feelings of confusion to me.

" _Not built, I think, for me,"_ Loki's voice was heard across the screen, making me shiver.

" _Built for something a lot stronger than you,"_ another voice replied.

" _Oh, I've heard. A mindless beast, makes play he's still a man."_

I heard shifting but didn't turn to see who they were facing, lost in the conversation we were hearing.

" _How desperate are you that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"_

" _How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war, you steal a force you can't hope to control, you talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. And you might not be glad that you did."_

" _It burns you to have come so close," Loki taunted, "to have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is."_

" _Well let me know if real power wants a magazine or something."_

The recorded ended shortly after that, the table going dark. I saw everyone looking between them from the corner of my vision, but my eyes only turned to Thor, who was pensive and turned away from everyone. The anger had subsided, but he was still frustrated.

After everything I'd learned in the past year and hearing that conversation the thought I couldn't push away was _how the fuck was I ever friends with a sociopath?_ Even worse, he was the one I trusted with my memories, now lost forever. I wondered if he had lost them out of carelessness or out of the need to hurt people.

The fact that he did all the things he did to get his brother's throne I kind of understood. At what point in history had there not been a jealous family member over what they thought they deserved? And Frigga had explained there were a lot of other issues left unresolved which had led to the culmination of trying to kill his brother and father. Even if they weren't related by blood, surely he could see they had thought him one of them? But as if that didn't make him insane enough, he survived what we all thought was his death and instead of becoming someone better he decided to go try take over another realm? How power thirsty could you be?

Of course, it wasn't just a throne he wanted. It was what it symbolized for him. Acceptance. His twisted version of justice. Whatever. Most people don't try taking over two realms within less than two years when they have an identity crisis. He should've tried spiritual yoga first.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" the man in purple asked, crossing his arms.

"Loki's gonna drag this out," the Captain said. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri," Thor replied, finally taking his hand off his face and facing the table. "They are not of Asgard nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An Army," Steve nodded, "from outer space."

"So he's building another portal?" the man in purple spoke again, taking off his glasses, "that's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Do you know him?" I asked, directing everyone's attention to me.

"He's a fellow scientist, I've met him."

"He's a friend," I said.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell," the woman said uncomfortably, "along with one of ours."

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him," Steve stepped in, "he's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," the scientist said, "that guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him."

"Careful," I cringed.

"Have care how you speak," Thor imposed on him, "Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother."

"He killed 80 people in two days."

"He's adopted," Thor conceded.

"I understand he can't be reasoned with, but surely he can be played with," I said. "You all heard him speak. He likes games, thinking he is making a fool of you. As Steve said, he let himself be taken. We need to find out why."

"I think it's about the mechanics," _Purple_ replied, "iridium. What do they need the iridium for?"

God, I hate scientists.

"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony said, walking in, dressed in a clean suit, Agent Coulson next to him, who he talked to in a lower voice, "I'm just saying, pick a weekend, I'll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive."

Agent Coulson nodded and walked away from him across the table, while Tony stood directly behind me, hands on the back of my chair.

"It means, the portal won't collapse on itself," he explained, "like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D."

Thor glared at him.

"No hard feelings, Point Break, you've got a mean swing."

I hid a laugh behind my hand at the reference.

"Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants," Tony continued, still not taking his hands from my chair, which were brushing against my back. I used my magic to make his hands so cold they burned until he yipped and tore them away from the chair, shaking them and holding them to restore the heat.

"That hurt, and I mean inside," he gave me a fake sad look, "and here I thought only one of the space renaissance cosplayers was an asshole."

"Are you done monologuing?" I replied.

He chuckled and started walking around the table towards the screens where a woman with brown hair held up had been previously monitoring something. He covered one of his eyes and spun around, then looked at the people on their computers.  
"That man is playing Galaga!" he shouted, "he thought we wouldn't notice. But we did."

He started spinning around with his eye covered again.

"How does Fury even see these?" he asked.

"He turns," the brown haired woman replied humourlessly.

"Sounds exhausting… the rest of the raw materials," he began clicking things on one of the screens, "Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is power source of high-energy density. Something to kick start the Cube."

I assumed Agent Barton was the _one of ours_ the redhead referred to earlier.

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" the female agent asked.

"Last night."

"The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"I wasn't aware we were doing this for college credits," I rolled my eyes.

"Hm, so you do have college in Asgard?" he asked, then smiled, "kidding. Coulson filled me in. You lived here for a while, I know."

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Cap asked, clearly getting annoyed.

"He'd have to heat the cube to 120 million Kelvig just to break through the Coulomb barrier," _Purple_ replied.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," Stark countered.  
"Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English," Stark walked up to the scientist, "and who will pass this class," he looked at me.

"Is that what just happened?" Cap asked.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner," Tony shook his hand. Great. I could finally put a name to him. "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster."  
He does _what_?

"Thanks," Dr. Banner said half heartedly.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube," walked in a man dressed all in black, one eye missing. I assumed he was Fury who Tony had joked about earlier. "I was hoping you might join him."

"I'd start with that stick of his," Cap said, "it may be magical but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that," Fury replied, "but it is powered by the Cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"Monkeys?" Thor asked, "I do not understand."

"I do!" Cap exclaimed excitedly, earning strange looks from everyone. "I understood that reference," he explains.

"Right, well, we have the Wicked Witch so let's get to work on finding the Cube," I stood up.

"Love the enthusiasm," Tony smiled mockingly, then turning to Banner, "shall we play, Doctor?"

"This way, sir," Dr. Banner replied, leading him towards a door.

"You won't help them?" the redhead asked me.

"Gods, no," I laughed, "I can understand many things but science is not one of them."

"Then how did you end up being friends with Erik Selvig?" she asked.  
"Fate, I suppose." I extended my hand to her, "I'm Neaessa."

"Natasha," she shook my hand. "I'm sorry he took your friend."

"I'm sorry he took yours," I smiled softly. "What do you say we work on a more applicable way of finding information?"

The tight wound Captain headed off after Stark and Banner, evidently wanting to keep an eye on Tony's poking personality. Natasha said she'd wait for me in the training room. I understood how Thor and I were standing, but the amount of energy these humans had was amazing. After she left, Fury introduced Agent Maria Hill, the woman who'd been here the entire "meeting" we'd had.

Then he headed off with her too, leaving Thor and I on our own with Agent Coulson.

"So, I know our last meeting was… odd," he shifted, "but I'm glad we're on the same side. Real glad."  
"As am I, son of Coul," Thor nodded.

"Do you know where Jane and Darcy are now?" I asked him.

"Oh, yes, follow me."

He led us to one of the screens, inputed a couple of things and showed us two pictures, one of each of the women. All their information was splayed out on the screen. How terrifying that people you didn't even know had an entire dissertation of your life.

"We send them both to an observatory far away, on the cover of needing emergency consultants," he explained, "Handsome fee. Private plane. Very remote. They'll be safe."

"Thank you," Thor said.

"It's no accident Loki taking Erik," I spoke. "He knew Thor came in contact with him when he was on Earth."

"I dread what he plans for him once he's done," Thor lamented.

"We'll stop that," Coulson tried. "He talks about you a lot. You changed his life. Both of you, in different ways."

"They were better as they were," Thor shook his head, "we pretend on Asgard we're more advanced but we come here battling like bilgesnipe."

"Like what?" Coulson stopped walking.

"Bilgesnipe," Thor repeated. "Ness said you had those too. You know, huge, scaly, big antlers."  
I laughed, having forgotten I had told him that and laughed even harder at the way he mimicked the antlers with his hands, making a face.

"You don't have those, do you?" he asked.

"I don't think so."

"Well, they are repulsive," Thor glared jokingly at me. Then sobered up. "And they trample everything in their path."

I stood behind him, next to Coulson as he walked towards the large glass window staring out at the clouds between which we flew.

"When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here," Thor continued, "and your people paid the price. And now, again. In my youth I courted war."

"War hasn't started yet," Fury said, walking up behind us. "You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"No," Thor turned to face the three of us. "But she can."

They all looked at me now.

"How well do you know him?" Coulson asked me.

"Not at all," I answered, "at least not that I can remember."

"He does not know she is here," Thor said, "the surprise alone will make him vulnerable. And she might not remember him. But he remembers her."

"How is that-"

"I lost most of my memories, it's a long story," I cut him off.

"Well, I don't care how you do it," Fury said, "just do it."  
"What are you asking of me?"

"I'm asking what are you prepared to do."

"For a cause I believe in? Anything."

"Good," Fury said.

"Loki is a prisoner," Thor interjected.

"Then why does it feel like he is the only person on this ship that wants to be here?" Fury pressed.

Thor blinked and looked away from Fury.

"I won't hurt him. I don't think I can get him to cooperate through pain. He's felt pain before, all too often."

"Then how?"  
"With the one thing he hasn't felt. Pleasure."

I saw Thor give me a worried look, wide eyed and confused but I just smirked teleporting away to the room I had seen on the screen, hoping I was right and I could get him to talk. Because if not… so much rested on the line. Not just Erik, or the countless other lives he would take. An entire realm under his rule. He'd already disrupted the peace once. We didn't need another shake up.

 **GUYS Neaessa is pronounced Nessa. It's just written differently because well… Asgard. And Norwegian rooted pronounciations of names. Yeah. Just wanted to clear that up. Aaaand next chapter we finally get to interact with Loki in the actual present! Thanks for reading and thank you Aeris54 for your review!**


	10. Chapter 10

I got the first try wrong. I landed in a room similar to the one we'd seen on camera, but lacking the enormous glass cage. I concentrated again, trying to picture the room as detailed and precisely as I could. Finally, I opened my eyes and found myself on the spot Fury had stood while talking to Loki, facing the circle of thick glass.

His back was to me, pacing towards the other edge of his confined space. My mouth felt heavy, something about finally seeing him up close made me nervous, but I swallowed and pushed that feeling away. Determination is all I should be feeling.

"Loki," I said.

His back tensed but he didn't turn around. Could he recognize my voice after all this time?

"Look at me."

He didn't move and I saw his hands shaking at his sides slightly. After a minute, he turned his head to face my slightly and I could only see his profile. His features even from this angle where conflicted. I could see surprise, confusion… this was the first time I'd seen him since he fell from the bridge showing any emotion other than disdain.

"I-is," he struggled, "is it really you?"

I didn't answer but only stared as he turned around walking towards the edge of the cage where I was standing on the other side of the glass.

"How could this be?" he breathed.

"Did you think I would stay on Asgard while you destroyed the Earth?"

"Asgard?" his eyes widened, "was it really you, then? On the bridge?"  
"It was."

"I thought I had imagined it," his eyes fell to the floor. "I thought you gone. I never stopped hoping but… you left. And not a word came after."

"Did you not realize my connection to Erik?" I held back my anger at the mention of his name.

"I did not think to ask. I had only thought he had been the one to help my brother, I-" he couldn't look at me. His pain confused me deeply, made me wonder if there had once been more to him. Had we been close? "He mentioned you. Anna. I did not understand who he talked about. Why would he call you that?"

"He did not know my real name."

"Did you hide it from him?" his gaze was still everywhere but on me.

"I hid it from myself, Loki."

He finally looked up, his eyes locking with mine. I had seen paintings of him on Asgard and his eyes looked more blue than green now than in those. A part of me wanted to stare at them, enticed but I snapped out of it. I realised he still did not know of my memories. Maybe honesty from me would bring the same from him. After all, we were talking hoping to get something out of it.

"What do you mean?"

"When I left Asgard I left my memories too," I explained, "everything that happened before the last thirty one years I have forgotten. And I have lost all hope of getting them back."  
"What kind of spell doesn't have a loophole? You were surely not so foolish as to lose them?"

"I put them somewhere I thought they would be safe. I was wrong."

He paused a hand rising slowly to his chest but then falling back to his side as if he had thought better of it. Was it guilt from losing the necklace? Did he realise now how important it had been? It could be just a reflex. Something that reminded him of me. He opened and closed his mouth before swallowing hard and struggling to speak.

"You mean to say you don't remember me?" he asked.

"I only know that you were once a better man. And look where you came to be. And for what? A throne?"

His face, which had been in a state of shock for the entire conversation, for a moment showed a wince of shame. Before he shook his head and covered it up.

"No," his features changed, the off-putting amusement he used to address everyone taking over with a laugh. "No, not just a throne. Is that the only story that they've told you? Do you really think power alone would make me do this?"  
"I think nothing should have brought you to do this. I think you could have been happy. You had your family, they-"

"They took everything from me!" he smashed his hand agains the glass and I willed myself not to flinch. "They took the truth of my birth and hid it, they took the throne I grew up believing as a firstborn I would inherit, they… they took everyone. And then they dropped me into an abyss."

"You dropped yourself. None of these things they did to spite or hurt you-"

"But they did!" he interrupted me for the second time. "And trust me, the Allfather knew very well what he was doing. My brother might by a fool but his father was not."

"He gave you the best he could."

"He lied to me! And he made me think I had a chance at a life like my brother would get but no. It was all lies. All of it."

"Was I a lie too?"

"The biggest of them all," he said viciously, without thinking before speaking.

I stared at him wide eyed. His words should mean nothing, and I reminded myself that they did. But the way he had seen me when I first came in and the way he was looking at me now were so stark in contrast it made my stomach clench. His words should mean nothing because he means nothing to me… but I could tell I meant something to him. And once, he had meant something to me too.

I let the hurt I showed be real for a second. He could not tell the difference anyway. Then I pushed every feeling back and just acted, determined to get what I came for. What we needed to stop him. And I said what I knew would hit the spot, what I knew would hurt the most coming from me. From the person he knew.

"You're a monster."

His face turned dark.

"Oh no," he laughed, "you brought the monster."

"So, Banner, huh?" I let my facial expression of hurt drop, replaced with apathy. "That's your play?"

"What?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Thank you," I replied, a calm exterior, "for that lovely conversation."

I teleported out of there, back to the control room, feeling unsettled, my heart pounding hard.

"I thought you said you were going to give him pleasure," Fury huffed.

"I thought he'd be nicer," I shrugged. "He plans to unleash the Hulk."

"I saw that," he Fury nodded.

"Where's Thor?" I asked.

"He went to see what Mr. Stark was doing. I don't think he's too fond of seeing you talk with his brother."

We walked towards the lab where everyone already seemed to be clustered and in the middle of an uncomfortable conversation.

"What are you doing?" Fury asked.

"I've kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Stark replied.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," Fury said.

"The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now," Banner explained, "when we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"Yeah, you get your Cube back," Tony shrugged, "no muss, no fuss. What is Phase 2?"

Thor stood next to the table and looked at me. Something still stirring inside me made me pretend not to notice and avoid his gaze. Instead, I looked at the screen where Stark was opening some files marked in red.

"Phase Two is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Cube to make weapons," Cap walked in, plopping a large metal thing on another table. "Sorry," he turned to Stark, "computer was moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract," Fury held up his hands in defense, "this does not mean we're making weapons with it."  
"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony turned the now unlocked files on the screen towards him, "what were you lying?"

Fury opened and closed his mouth.

"This is a force you cannot hope to control," I angrily looked at him, "do you not understand the magnitude of working with such things?"

"I was wrong, Director," Steve said, "the world hasn't changed a bit."

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha as she walked in, out of her formal uniform and in training clothes.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" she deferred.

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed," Banner chuckled.

"Loki is manipulating you," I spoke to him.

"And they've been doing what exactly?" he motioned towards Natasha and Fury.

"You didn't come here because I batted my eyelashes at you," she replied.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because you suddenly get a little twitchy," he walked towards her, but then turned to the screen, "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him," Fury pointed to Thor, who finally looked away from me and at Fury's finger, confused.

"Me?" Thor asked, naïve to the facts.

"Last year, we had a visitor from another planet," Fury continued, "who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. Then we found out that we'd had another one living here for thirty years. We learned that not only are we alone but we are hopelessly, hilarously, outgunned."

"Our people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor defended.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."  
He looked at me as he said the last words, rubbing me the wrong way.

"I'm sorry, but do you not realise that by making these weapons you are basically signaling to other species, other planets, that you are ready for war with them when you are not?" I snapped.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies" Thor added, "it is the signal to the other realms that the Earth is ready for a higher for of war."

"A higher form? You forced our hand," Fury insisted, "we had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent," Tony spoke thick with irony, "because that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark," Fury turned to him.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Tony cut Steve off, "hold on: how is this about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve retorted.

"Don't make this personal, cap," I said, his need to always be right, especially towards Tony getting on my nerves.

"The way he treats everyone on a team supposed to be conformed of equals is personal," Steve said to me.

"A team?" Stark huffed, "is that what we are now?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me, do we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury said to him.

"I am certain you would if you had found the way," I replied.

Natasha butted in, annoyed, and Steve and Tony began to fight amongst themselves. Thor and Fury snapped at each other. Bruce leaned back against the table with Loki's scepter, only shaking his head, irritated and disagreeing with everyone. I took a step back, standing behind Nat and Bruce, watching as they all lost their tempers and subsequently their heads, throwing argument after argument of pent up tension.

Tension.

Of course. I felt the blue light reflecting on my arm before I turned and saw the scepter, glowing brighter than I'd seen it before. Everyone kept talking over each other, beginning to argue even between the ones who had before behaved friendly.

"Guys," I tried interrupting, but only succeeded in getting Nat's attention.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Thor spoke over me.

"That's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce shrugged, "I mean what are we, a team? No, no, no we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb."

"You need to step away," Fury suggested, walking closer to him.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony joked, placing an arm on Steve's shoulder.

"You know damn well why, now back off!" Steve pushed him off.

"Guys," I repeated, but Tony and Steve were now locked in a stare down.

I was fairly certain that was just repressed homosexuality.

"Hey!" I screamed, "you fucking idiots need to stop arguing this is exactly what Loki wants."

"And you know this because you're… what? His high school sweatheart?" Tony smirked.

"I know this because I've been focused on stopping the bigger threat," I barked. "I'm fairly certain the stick shouldn't be glowing."

Now everyone turned to see it.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his..."

"Where?" Banner interrupted Fury, "you rented my room."

"The cell was just in case-"

"In case you needed to kill me," Bruce stopped him angrily, "but you can't. I know, I tried. I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth. The other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping people, I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

Fury and Nat both drew their hands to their guns, removing the holsters.

"Dr. Banner," Cap said, feigning calm, "put down the scepter."

No one had even realized he'd been holding it, and he looked just as surprised looking down at his own hand and seeing it himself. Everyone stared at it in fear until a sudden beeping sound came from the screen behind Thor, turning everyone's attention to it.

"Got it," Bruce sighed, placing the scepter back on the table, still glowing. "Sorry kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

Everyone moved to the screen, following him.

"You located the Tesseract?" Thor asked.

"I can get there fastest," Tony piped in.

"Look, all of us-"

"The Tesseract belongs in Asgard," Thor interrupted Steve.

"No human should try to take it," I shook my head, "leave it to us. Gods know Loki probably has some sort of spell protecting it."  
"I don't care much for the whole witchy thing," Tony shrugged, beginning to walk out, "I think I'll just take it."

"You're not going alone," Steve grabbed his arm.

"You gonna stop me?" Tony shoved his arm.

"Put on the suit, let's find out," Steve closed up on him.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man," Tony shrugged.

"Put on the suit," Steve said through gritted teeth.

Repressed homosexuality. I'm telling you.

"Oh my god," Bruce spoke as the beeping from his screen became louder.

"What?" I asked just as the entire helicarrier shook.

An unexpected blast came from below, throwing everyone off their feet. It blew me away towards the wall and I stopped myself at the last second from blowing completely into it and denting it or hurting my head. The entire glass window shattered, pieces falling everywhere and parts of the floor caved in and blew downwards, smoke blocking me from seeing where each person landed.

I lowered myself back to the ground, turning to see a shocked Thor sitting up from the place where he fell next to Fury. I turned at saw Steve and Tony looking at each other, concious thank the gods.

"Put on the suit!" Steve exclaimed, standing up and pulling Tony with one hand.

"Yep!"

They ran out of the room quickly towards where the explosion had come from. Where was the scepter? Where was Nat and…

Where was Bruce? The entire ship was erupting into chaos. A voice spoke over the intercom ordering all hands to attend to their stations. Fury groaned and sat down on a bench speaking to Agent Hill through his earpiece.

"The third engine is down," I said, using magic to hear what Fury was being transmitted.

"Stark, you copy that?" Fury said after Maria told him somebody had to patch the engine while we were on the air.

"I'm on it," Tony replied.

Fury began throwing orders at everyone through his earpiece and I decided not to wait any longer. I grabbed Thor's arm, getting his attention.

"I'll find Natasha and Bruce," I told him, "get Mjolnir. Stop whoever blew up the engine."

"What about Loki?"

"Whoever blew up the engine is probably the same person planning to free him," I said.

He ran off quickly, arm already extended making the sound of his hammer tearing through multiple walls add to the cacophony of chaos. I looked down to the place where the floor had broken, but there were various holes, each ending on a different spot. I couldn't see the end of more than one of them.

 _"_ _Natasha?"_ I concentrated trying to speak into her mind.

In her confusion she pushed against it.

" _Natasha, it's me."_

 _"Ness?"_

" _Where are you?"_

 _"_ _We're okay,"_ I could feel her struggling, _"my leg might be stuck. I think I can move it."_

 _"_ _Where?"_

Her concentration defected from me and I could no longer feel her in my mind. She had said we. She was definetely with Bruce, who would not be great company in this moment. This is just what Loki wanted. We had seen his plan and had done nothing to stop it. I tried to see Natasha in my mind, but location spells were one thing no one I knew had mastered. Only Heimdall had that type of vision. I focused hard trying to get through to her, but I knew in her panic she might not receive it.

" _Tell me where you are,"_ I almost shouted, " _I can help."_

" _Oh, god,"_ she finally replied, _"it's happening. I think I won't be able to stop it."_

 _"_ _Natasha, WHERE!?"_

I suddenly heard the huge groan from below me. They had fallen a few floors down but I knew the spot. I teleported myself down, landing behind a bent out of shape boiler which only one person could have done.

One thing. I peeked out, seeing the last of Natasha's legs retreat up the metal stairs in panic as the enormous green man roared at her. He had not seen me yet and he ran after her. I could not believe what he could turn into. It was nothing like I had imagined. It was worse. All control was gone from his body language, replaced with an animal instinct to destroy.

He tore the stairs whole behind her, as she swung up into the railing above her, twisting between two pipes and landing behind them with a loud grunt. This wasn't Bruce roaring at her, and I now understood what he meant when he said the Other Guy. It was truly someone else. The creature they called the Hulk. He tore the floor from beneath her and she swung back down through another rail, nimbly fitting herself between tanks and pipes and running onto the next floor down, earning the loudest sound from the Hulk yet.

I watched as he ran behind her, finally snapping out of my unmoving state and chasing after them. He tore everything in his path efortlessly, none of the pain of things hitting him seemingly registering. I wanted to scream at him to stop but I knew he could not listen.

I followed him, using dark energy to float and conceal myself as I stayed behind and vaguely above him.

" _I'm here, Nat,"_ I tried to stay calm, but the same panic she'd been feeling was transferring to me, combining with the chaos happening outside this room which I had to trust everyone else to fix.

Trust was never my strongest suit. I felt the need to take care of everything.

" _Room below,"_ I felt her heavy breathing through the messy thoughts, words that made no sense coming from her which I had to ignore to focus on what she was trying to say, " _come quick."_

I teleported through the wall I'd seen her go. She was running through the middle of the room, looking back in panic. I floated down to the ground and unconcealed myself, earning a small squeak from the jump scare she'd been tensely expecting.

"Shh, shh," I soothed her, taking her hand, "let's get out of here."  
"We can't just let him tear through the ship," she was wide eyed.

"No, of course not, but we can't let him tear through us either."

Sounds of his movements carried through the roof above us, the walls vibrating. The failing helicarrier made the sharp white lights flash around us, the room dim with smoke. Everything adding to an environment which kept us both on edge. She drew her gun and pulled me back behind a huge tank, kneeling, the wall behind our backs.

We were only silent for a few moments, unmoving in the silence that had settled around us, somehow worse than the screams. She stood and peeked out against my protests, gun aimed upwards until the Hulk's giant green face appeared between some tubes letting out a loud noise. She instinctively shot at him, missing as he moved down to come through to where she stood, but hitting a pipe which began steadily leaking thick smoke.

"Run," I pounced behind her.

I couldn't teleport us both and I couldn't leave her, so I ran behind her through the glass corridor as she struggled with her injured leg. I turned around and threw a blast of energy to block the entrance and earn us a few seconds. By the time we almost reached the end, he had torn through the side and was quickly catching up with us. I jumped over the metal railing, clinging to it and landing on the next one.

Hulk threw his arm against Nat's body, making her harshly land on her back, sweaty and terrified. He directed his attention to me and I threw my arms up and pulsated my energy, concentrating it as hard as I could in half a second before jumping and throwing myself against him, tearing us both through the wall opposite to which Natasha had fallen. I could not fly but I could hover or jump off things which helped in landing us a good few feet into the room full of soldiers who ran off as they saw the green figure landing hard.

He fell on top of me. Standing up and grabbing me by the neck with a single hand. His face showed pure unadultered rage.

"Banner," I tried speaking through my choking windpipe, "we are not your enemies. Try to think. Try to breath."

He grunted loudly before throwing me across the room, my back tearing through one of the planes. If I were human I would have died instantly, but I wiped the blood coming out of my nose and stood back up, floating towards him, fully visible to make sure he didn't run back to where Nat was or to where the agents had gone.

"Stop this madness! I know you can hear me!" I shouted, making him throw his arms into the air, trying to catch me and raging in his failure. "It feels nice to let go and lose control, I KNOW, but there is a better way!"

He jumped up, tearing through the roof above us. I looked up to see a second hole form above me, and him throwing his entire weight against me, landing me flat on my back, out of breath, my nose bleeding again, multiple scrapes covering my bare arms and face. I felt one of my wrists bend out of shape and if it were not for the metal and leather finger gloves I wore it would've broken. The Hulk twisted his body upwards, as if gathering strength to punch me and as he did I slid out from under him, throwing my arms up, a mass of dark energy rolling between my two hands and then hurtling towards his chest.

The burning blue fire seared his chest and made him stay on his back, some meters away before he shook his arms and slowly, shaking with rage he got back up, letting out a bellowing sound and running towards me. It was a terryfing image. Pure green muscle headed in full speed and force towards me, more than five times my size.

I jumped off the ground and floated as fast as I could, moving to avoid all the planes and cars which Hulk tore through behind me. Reason and force didn't work. He had to get off this ship. I heard the voice over the intercom speaking, stating where everyone was.

"We've got the Hulk and Neaessa on Level 4," was all I focused on.

I knew where that was. Too far away to get to Loki's cell and make a prisoner trade, lock Banner in there until he became Banner once again. He did say he couldn't die. If nothing could kill him, then surely a fall wouldn't either? A plan began forming as I ran out of places to run to. A glass window was coming up ahead, directly out into the sky. I broke through it with an energy blast, but stopped short, the last second.

Wanting to use the trick only Loki ever perfected of cloning himself, I settled for the good old fashioned ducking at the last moment. I slowed down and as Hulk was only a step behind me, fell to the ground, the adrenaline and speed at which he was running making him unable to stop, instead tearing through the remaining glass and falling out of the ship. I looked out to see him holding on with one hand, nothing but anger on his face, not even fear of the fall.

"Do it!" Natasha shouted, running up behind me, "he'll be fine and so will we!"

Groaning, I threw a ball of dark blue energy at the piece of ground he'd been holding on to, making it dissipate and seeing the green figure flail and fall through the sky. My entire body was shaking with the rush of the fight and the chaos. I breathed heavily and grabbed my arm where the biggest scrape was, trying to find the strength and focus to heal it. It stopped bleeding but didn't close.

"He'll be fine," Natasha repeated, "he'll be fine."

I started to calm down until the voice on the intercom spoke again.

" _Engine one is now in shut down,"_ it said.

"One problem down," I groaned.

"Go," Nat nodded, visibly shaking, "I have to find Barton."

"He's here?"

"Fury just saw him."

The ship tilted and the voice kept speaking, shouting out the condition in which we were. We're falling is all I cared about. Descending helplessly. I nodded back at Nat and teleported Loki's cell. Just as I saw Thor stumbling into it through a projection Loki had made of himself. The real Loki stared at his brother from outside.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" he taunted.

Thor didn't reply, throwing all his strength and hitting the glass with Mjolnir, creating a crack but also making the rigged holdings of the cage begin to let it go. Loki laughed and I ran up behind him.

"Thor, no!"

"Ah," Loki turned to face me, walking closer, "look who came back. Are you here to mock me? Call me a monster?"

"I'm here to stop you," I replied, throwing myself against the real him, sending us both flying across the floor.

He threw himself against me, twisting our bodies and ending up on top, a tight hold on my wrists, stopping me from creating energy with my hands. He chuckled, bringing his face close to mine.

"Is that so?" he laughed, "it seems like you'll be too busy stopping my brother from falling."

I looked up, seeing one of his goons press the button which opened the bottom of the ground beneath the steel trap to the sky. The ship shook in that moment, throwing us both off our balance. I landed against the wall as he stood up and walked behind a doorway which opened in that moment, Agent Coulson walking in with a large weapon. I was heavily wounded from the entire ordeal, struggling to stand up, drained from all the magic I had used.

Coulson only saw a projection of Loki and pointed the gun at it.

"Move away from the controls, please," he spoke to the copy.

"No," I tried, "look-" a sharp pain beneath my ribs cut me off, coming from Loki's scepter, which he pointed at me from behind Phil.

My eyes began closing in pain and just as I was fading out it stopped, the sound of something ripping skin replacing my own pain. I opened my eyes and saw the scepter coming out of Coulson's chest, who fell almost dead to the ground as Loki removed it.

"No!" Thor shouted, perspiring and angry.

I tried to move, speak, do something but my entire chest felt like it was still on fire. I could barely force myself to breathe. It was like my arms had turned to stone. Loki walked towards the control panel and I felt impotent, unable to do anything. His hand hovered over the button that would drop Thor for a moment as if considering.

"Please," I tried through heavy breaths, panted out.

He didn't hear me. He made a face at Thor, who was raging inside the cell, conflicted inside his own mind. Without another thought he pushed the button, the steel and glass cage dropping down with unthinkable speed. The sight of it made the adrenaline push through me one last time, helping me sit up against the wall. I used everything in me to stand up. Every heartbeat I felt throughout my whole body.

 _Walk it the fuck off,_ I told myself, _you need to stop being so weak._ It had been more than thirty years since I'd fought so harshly. The metal creature from last year had been a team effort but the fights, Hulk, Loki, it was more than I was used to. I tried to remember what Frigga had told me.

 _Don't just use the energy you feel all the time on the tips of your fingers,_ she'd instructed. _Think of the Night. Think of the vastness of darkness in the cosmos. All the good places you can draw that dark energy from. Use them._

With the last bit of energy of my own I had, I strutted towards Loki who had not seen me stand and was already walking away. I peered over the edge just as Thor broke out of the glass, the relief washing through me and giving me what strength I was missing.

"You won't win this," I grunted.

"No?" he turned around, surprised to see me up.

"Ruling is not in your nature."

"And going against nature is so uncommon, is it?" he smirked, "no. Whatever nature you are trying to define me by, it has changed many times. Your heroes are scattered, your ship is falling. Shouldn't you give up and go back to Asgard?"

"Not without you."

"If only you meant that the way you would've before," he lamented without his taunting amusement leaving his tone.

I was about to come up with a reply when a blast came from behind me, throwing him through the air and tearing the wall. I turned to see the bleeding, dying Coulson smile at me.

"So that's what it does," he said.

"I'll make sure help comes," I told him, "I can't heal you myself. I cannot even heal my own wounds."

"Go," he smiled weakly, "keep this ship together."

I turned to see where Loki had fallen just a minute before but he was gone. I jogged, trying to run as fast as I could towards him but he was nowhere to be seen. Everything had gone exactly like he wanted. And I started worrying it would continue to with no assembled team to stop him.

 **OMG I KNOW IT WAS REALLY REALLY REALLY LONG wow sorry. Hope you enjoyed it I guess lol I got carried away and didn't want to cut the chapter short just for length instead of actual scene/content division. Thanks for staying updated and reviewing guys I really appreciate everything even just know you're reading this makes me really happy. I'll post probably around 3 am because insomnia and because I didn't write all day so nighttime it is…..**


	11. Chapter 11

A defeated feeling settled all around the ship. It stayed up in the end, but Thor and Bruce were lost, and Loki had escaped. Natasha reported she had Agent Barton back, and then said she was sorry Erik was still missing. Coulson died, the medical team called it in front of my own eyes. I was drained out, exhausted to the point I would collapse if I weren't running on anxiety.

Fury called a meeting to which only Steve, Tony, Maria and I could attend. Everyone sat but me. I was afraid if I stopped moving I wouldn't be able to start again. Fury took the time to explain the truth behind Phase Two and the weapons arsenal they planned to build with the Tesseract. Nobody argued.

"I didn't put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier," as Fury began saying this his tone of importance made me finally tune in. "There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of… remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we need them to; to fight the battles we never could."

I walked out before he continued, understanding the sentiment but hating the moment. I didn't want a pep talk. I felt disgusted at the sluggish feeling overtaking me, everyone. The air of caving and giving up. I didn't know where I was going it felt like there was so much to do and nowhere to start. Thor. Bruce. Erik.

For around half an hour I walked around, stopped in a bathroom to check my wounds. Scrapes and bruises, but nothing I wasn't built for. They would heal as soon as I rested, like all things did. But for now I opened the first aid kit above the mirror and wrapped a white gauze around the cut in my arm so it wouldn't get dirty. Infections passed through me easily, but they itched and the last thing I needed was discomfort to add to our predicament. Everything else I passed a wet towel over and walked off on aching legs. Bruce Banner might be a thin man but his other guy put up quite a fight.

After aimless wandering in an attempt to clear my head which wasn't working, I ended up in the room where Loki's cell had been. Or Hulk's cage. Whatever. I walked through the whole on the wall Coulson's blast had made and looked at the now closed floor. _He's fine,_ I reminded myself. But for how long? Then I heard two voices talking.

"He made it personal," the voice I recognized as Tony's said.

"That's not the point," Steve replied.

"That _is_ the point," I walked in.

"He hit us all right where we live," Tony nodded, "why?"

"To tear us apart," Steve nodded.

"Yeah, divide and conquer is great, but" Tony said, "he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, we wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

Tony began to shake his finger and walk, enthusiasm rising inside him, determination to put an end to the man who ended his friend's life.

"Yeah, I caught that in Stuttgart," Steve said, as he and I walked besides Tony.

"That was just previews, this is opening night. And Loki, he's a full tilt diva, right?"  
"Quite so," I humphed.

"He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered…" Tony stopped talking, his hands middair.

Steve gave him a questioning look.

"Sonofabitch," Tony exhaled in one breath, rushing out of the room.

"Does he mean?" Steve asked me.

"Have you ever seen an action movie that didn't climax in New York?" I shrugged, following after Tony.

With renewed hopes I felt myself regaining strength. Cap went to get Nat, Tony went to find and fix as best he could his Iron Man suit and I headed to the hangar to find a fully functioning aircraft we could get out in quickly. As I waited for everyone to show up I closed my eyes and used my energy to recreate my armor, using the strongest one I had. The oncoming fight warranted it. Clean black protective leather strengthened around me, binded with the strongest silver metal I could conjure. The torn and almost nonexistent dark blue cape behind me restored itself and I felt ready to take on Loki. This time for real.

I waited outside the ship until Nat, Steve and Tony showed up, accompained by the archer who I assumed was Barton.

"There's someone inside, but it's fully functional."  
"Won't he give us trouble?" Barton asked.

"I hope you like a bit of trouble," I smirked, "we're headed for much more than an angry mechanic."  
The four of us walked in, making the man stand up in a hurry.

"Woah, you guys aren't authorized to be here!"

"Son," Steve said, "just don't."

"Who knows how to fly this thing?" Nat asked.

"I've flown similar spaceships," I shrugged.

"Not a spaceship," Barton pointed out, "don't worry, I got this."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," he nodded, "your brother in law really pissed me off."

"Hm," I tilted my head with a small laugh, "close enough."

"Well, I'd say I'll race you but it wouldn't really be fair," Tony shrugged, fully suited.

He walked out and took off through the open port, straight for Stark tower. Barton closed the ship's door and began takeoff. I saw through the window as the man who'd been here along with some other officers signaled for us to stop and waved at them right as we took off at maximum speed, cutting through the air and nearing the New York skyline within a few minutes.

Nat and Barton, who said his name was Clint, sat on the driver's seats while Steve stood across from me in the back of the ship. The four of us stared out into the sky, looking for any sign that Tony had been able to prematurely stop Loki.

"Will it hurt you if he dies?" Steve asked me suddenly.

"Thor is well, I know this," I shook my head. "He's been through worse than a fall."

"I meant Loki."

"Oh." I let out a deep breath. "I thought him dead once already. I have no memory of him to mourn, only what I know now. They don't talk about him much. I know there's parts of the story I'll never be told… but his mother shares more than anyone. And from what's she's told me I know he could've been a good man. A great man, even."

"They're not men, though," Steve chuckled.

"No," I agreed, "they're not. But they feel like them. As do I. And I will lament that this is the path he chose. But without my memories I will never understand why."  
"And there is no way to get them back?"

"Not anymore, no."

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly.

"So am I."

For a moment my mind thought of Loki's eyes. The burning blue that had stared at me through the cage's glass. Wrathful and ready to kill anyone that stood in his path. Then I thought of the almost green eyes painting showed. The ones I had only seen for a second before he fell to what we thought was his death. My mind was tugging at me, but the train of throught promptly broke as a blinding flash of light tore through the sky.

"Oh my god," Natasha gasped.

"Does this thing go any faster?" Steve asked.

I almost pressed my face to the window to see as the sky literally opened up. A dark hole in the middle of the clear blue day, growing larger and larger until figures began pouring through. I could only make out the outlines but we all knew what they were and what this meant. More and more began coming out in a seemingly endless manner, swooping down and shooting at buildings and people, causing explosions.

"Stark, we're on your three, heading north east," Natasha spoke into her headseat.  
"What, did you stop for drive through?" he snapped, "swing up Park. I'm going to lay 'em out for you."

"Where's Loki?" I clicked the speaker button on the dash.

"Stark Tower," Tony replied, "Thor's keeping him busy. Doesn't that get weird? I feel like Asgard's royal family could make their own Keeping Up show. The Kardashians would go bankrupt."

"I'll be sure to patent it when this blows over," I rolled my eyes.

Nat drew closer to the tower, firing while moving.

"Nat," Clint pointed out.

"I see him," she nodded.

She pointed the Quinjet's gun at Loki and fired when Thor got out of the way but instantly, Loki blasted the ship with his scepter, which threw the entire thing off balance.

"I need to help Thor, open the hangar," I instructed her.

She opened it and at the last second turned around and looked bewildered at me.

"Can you even fly?" she yelled above the noise of the air rushing in.

"It's not that big a jump," I shout back, diving out without hesitation.

After I used the side of the aircraft to push myself towards the tower, floating quickly to the balcony, I heard a second blast hit the Quinjet, this time actually sending it down. I saw Clint pilot it as best as he could, Steve holding on to the roof, but I played my part and landed on the ground of Stark's balcony. Of all the places I've been, I never thought I would end up visiting Stark Tower. At least not sober.

"You're here," Thor smiled at me, despite the situation.

Loki grabbed him from behind, but Thor turned and punched Loki repeatedly in the face, his scepter falling on the ground. I ran towards them but a noise cuts me off, which made me turn and see a giant metal snake shaped creature coming out of the hole in the sky. I swear every time I think nothing will surprise me…

"Look at this!" Thor yelled at his brother, who I realised was staring at me as I looked terrified at the sky. He broke eye contact, instead turning back to Thor. "Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?"

"It's too late," Loki said, "it's too late to stop it."

"No," Thor said as Loki turned away from both of us, "we can. Together."  
I saw his hand before Thor did and threw a small blast of energy to stop the knife he was about to stick into Thor's gut. Loki turned and smirked at me.

"Sentiment," he shrugged.

Thor groaned and threw himself against Loki, punching him through one of the glass windows and then picking him up and throwing him down onto the ground. Just as Thor stooped down to hit him again, Loki grabbed his arm, making him roll over and throwing him down out of the building. I rushed to the edge to see dozens of Chitauri surrounding him. He jumped on one of their ships and used Mjolnir to fight them off.

"Keep him busy!" he shouted at me, before heading off to help everyone else.

I looked Loki who had already stood up and was chuckling at me. Despite his attractive features being enhanced when he smirked I wanted to wipe that amused look of his face. Tiny blue sparks of energy bursted out of my palms as if warming up, begging to be released. I turn around as the giant snake is being crushed by the unmistakeable outline of Hulk.

"Send the rest," Loki whispered into his scepter.

" _There's more coming,"_ I told Thor, who is more used than anyone to my telepathy.

" _We'll keep fighting,"_ he replied.

I finally turn around and face Loki. Everything about me just makes me feel so much. It ranges from confusion to anger to sadness. And right now it's frustration. His face fell as he saw my expression and I threw a blast of energy at him, sending him flying into the building. I floated in behind him as he sat up, already laughing.

"Is any of this amusing?" I seethed, my eyes glowing. "You've proven your point, but in any way this ends you will not be satisfied. Do you plan to spend eternity sitting here, controlled by someone, ruling over those you deem inferior? It won't be enough."  
"You're right," he shrugged nonchalantly, walking towards me, "it isn't. Enough would've been the throne that was my birthright."

"Your birthright? Your father took you in when he could've left you! Why can you not see that all anyone has every done is try to please you despite where you came from?"

"Is that so?" he laughed darkly, his body an armlength from mine. "I did not always want the throne."

"Then why did you try to kill half of your family? Why are you taking over an innocent planet?"

"Because everything else was denied of me," his voice shook as he almost whispered. "Friends pushed me away. Family, everyone on Asgard. It was as if they all hated me even before they were given reason to."

"You could have changed that."

"You can't change what they've been taught their whole life," he shrugged, "that I'm below my brother. That Thor is the warrior, the champion, the Prince of Asgard. And who was I? Not a prince in their eyes."  
"His brother. His friend," I paused, " _my_ friend. Wasn't that enough? Did what they see matter more than what you knew to be true?"

"We were never friends," he laughed somehow inching even closer, "if only you could remember."

"It's your fault I can't," I held back from retreating not wanting to show any submission or fear.

"And how could that be?"

"I gave you something the day I left," my eyes began to burn, and I held back the tears of frustration, "and asked you to care for it. And now I've been living with the burning truth that I will never remember for a year."

"Do you mean the necklace?"

"Does it matter?"

"I-"

The largest blast of thunder I'd ever heard came from outisde, covering the entire empire state. The fight was still ongoing and I had to keep Loki distracted before he called more Chitauri or made a bigger mess. I faced him once again but before I could say anything I saw his face an inch away from mine making me gasp thinking he was attacking me. Instead, I felt the weight of something rest against my chest and I looked down to see he'd placed a silver necklace on me, a carved moonstone on the pendant.

My hand flew to it as suddenly I felt as if I'd left my body. Everything around me faded.

 _The first pictures were blurry, the way every child remembers their childhood. A mess of memories and dreams mixed together. Happy, full of campfires and stargazing. A father. Stories of a mother. Games with other children. The Bifrost, in all it's splendor. Running through the forests of Asgard with friends. Loki. Sif. Thor. Golden halls. The sadder moments. The collapse of my realm. My father's last kiss. Mourning with the Allfather by my side. Loki's corner of the library. Books and books and books. Hide and seek with Thor. Dancing in the gardens with Sif. Training and learning more and more magic and growing and learning. And feeling. So so much feeling. Heartache and pining and love and lust. Becoming teenagers and beginning to ask each other for dances at parties. Fighting over who sat besides who at dinner. Jealousy in full technicolor. Advice from Frigga, as she combed my hair. Meeting the Warriors Three at different points, all of us together. Shaking hands and nervous smiles and first kisses. Seeing Thor kiss a handmaid behind a stone pillar and bothering him about it for weeks, secretly jealous. Walking and sunbathing and swimming with him on the beach. Laughing until your stomach hurt. The library over and over again. That quiet spot where all I could hear was Loki's heartbeat, my head against his chest. Becoming adults and attending court meetings and fighting amongst the soldiers and working. Laying on the hidden steps of the palace, staring at his green eyes and dark hair and soft smile. Jokes and pranks and flirting and teasing. And worrying sometimes. About the way they shunned him. The way the Allfather would make it all to clear who he liked best. Who he wanted me to like best. Indesicion, disregarded in place of ignorance. So many more pictures. Every little moment flashed before my eyes, a single frame bringing back the memory, the entire feeling. There was so much. So, so much life. And I felt all of it._


	12. Chapter 12

When my vision came back everything was still the same. Only a second had passed but an eternity had literally flashed before my eyes like a movie. The sounds of war raged outside but my throat clenched and I felt paralyzed as Loki looked at me.

"Oh," I whimpered, "oh, no."

His face broke, regretful and ashamed as he reached out to me. I couldn't help but understand everything no. Nothing was justified. But it was fathomable now. The shadow of his brother, the throne, the disregard, the absence of the one person who had always made him feel good enough. His hand was touching my arm and I didn't move, completely overwhelmed.

"You're not a monster," I whispered, "you might have lost your way, but I didn't know who you were when I said that. Oh, Loki, how did this happen."

I pulled away, walking towards the window in need of air. I should be fighting along with everyone, and even though Thor had asked me to keep Loki distracted, which I was doing, I felt it wasn't enough. But I also couldn't focus on what I felt in this moment. I was feeling everything I had felt in my entire life all at once. Thor. I understood now why he smiled so much every time he saw me, even those first days when I did not treat him as a friend but a stranger. I understood why he hurt when I turned away from his touch. It wasn't realisation that I felt… it was like I'd only been a part of myself for a while. And in this moment I became a whole being again.

"Ness," Loki walked up behind me, "when all of this started… I thought you were gone. I never thought you'd be involved in-in any of this."

About to consider turning to face him, I heard a familiar roar and saw a giant green blur leaping onto the space in front of me. Without fully snapping out of the trance I was in I stayed still.

"Shit," Loki muttered, throwing his body over mine to make me duck.

I fell on the ground but he was lifted off of me quickly. I heard something land in the roof above us and decided Hulk could take care of Loki because I couldn't spend another second with him now. Not in the state I was in. Lines were blurring between past and present and so were feelings. I concentrated as hard as I could to snap out of it and ran out, floating up to the roof where Erik was laying bleeding on the ground. Natasha was sprawled out trying to stand up, she'd been the one to make a sound as she hit the floor.

Erik looked up at the sound of my feet landing on the asphalt.

"Anna?" he asked, surprised.

"Is he out of your mind?"

"Just barely," he admitted.

"That's enough for me," I ran to his side and hugged him, "thank you. For everything. All those years meant the most to me."

"They meant more than you could ever imagine to me as well," he smiled.

"Um, guys," Nat was standing besides the machine within which the Tesseract was operating and opening the portal into the sky, "I don't mean to interrupt the reunion but…"

We looked at the chaos coming from every direction. I found myself coming up with a plan.

"Nat, go back out there," I ordered, deciding that I would push through the way I felt, compartamentalize and leave deep introspection for a calmer moment, "I'll take care of the Cube."

She nodded and glided down the side of the building, jumping to where Hulk was _interacting_ with Loki. I pushed away his name. It made everything more complicated. I teleported to the balcony, grabbing Loki's scepter, and teleporting back to the small roof where Erik's creation for channeling the Tesseract's power was situated.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked.

"I have no fucking clue," I replied, "but there's really not much else left."

With all of my strength I pushed the scepter towards the cube. I felt the force field shaking, but ultimately letting its own energy in. The cube getting closer and closer. I felt stronger than I had earlier. Than I had in thirty years. My muscles and magic remembered as my mind did and began working as they had when I was at my strongest. The words of Frigga, to draw energy from the shadows, from the darkness of the universe felt so simple now, so true. As effortless as breathing.

" _Thor, I can close the portal,"_ I spoke to him, so much more ease in the task.

" _Do it, I will inform everyone."_

I gave one last push and the tip of the scepter touched the Tesseract. The column of light began vibrating, shrinking, until I heard someone shout inside my head.

" _WAIT_ ," Thor called loudly.

" _What is it?"_

" _Stark,"_ he explained, " _there is a bomb of sorts coming into the city. He has to throw it through the portal."_

I pulled back a little making the column of energy widen once more. Erik came close and asked what was wrong confused but I told him to wait and focused on Tony.

" _Stark?"_ I talked to him now.

" _What the fuck? Get an earpiece this is super creepy,"_ he said, _"can you read my mind all the time? Because if so, then yes I do apologize for the graphic images, you can be overwhelmingly attractive to look at."_

 _"_ _No, Stark, I can only talk to you not read your mind. How much longer?"_

 _"_ _Less than a minute."_

 _"_ _Alright, hurry."_

 _"_ _I wasn't planning on taking a coffee break."_

I looked out into the sky where he was now carrying the bomb on his back. He used all his strength and the suit's to drag it towards the portal, using the tower for one last push and then finally going through it. I held my breath waiting for him to come back out. Five seconds passed. All the Chitauiri began falling out of the sky, ships failing and crashing, their bodies decaying. Then ten seconds had passed.

"Anna, close it," Erik said.

"Wait," I replied.

Suddenly, Thor appeared besides me, landing on the roof. Thor. I saw him as so much more now. Everything was so much more. But I did not look at him other than a brief glance, staring at the sky still hoping to see the outline of a red metal suit flying down.

"Close it now," Thor said sadly.

The explosion growing closer, I pushed the scepter in, defeated and focused dark energy to make it grow small. The hole in the sky had smoothed out within seconds and in the last moment, I saw him. I broke out into a smile, which quickly turned to concern when I realised he was freefalling.

"He's not slowing down," Thor voiced.

He began spinning his hammer but before he could even take off, a muscular figure leapt out of a building, grabbing Tony and landing him on the ground safely. I teleported to where they fell. Within a second I was kneeling next to Tony, tearing off his helmet. A few moments later Thor landed next to me, and Cap got there running. The three of us and Hulk stared at the closed eye face and I put my finger below his nose to see if he was breathing. I felt nothing. Everyone looked between us, denial clear in our expressions.

Hulk didn't stutter and he let out a bellowing roar in Stark's face, making him open his eyes, clearly scared shitless.

"What wow," Stark exclaimed, "what the hell?"

Everyone exhaled, relieved. Thor smiled, Cap just shook his head and Hulk kept screaming.

"What just happened?" Tony asked, "please tell me nobody kissed me. Actually, please tell me you kissed me," he finished, looking at me.

Even I laughed at that, feeling the fight and the death scare coming to an end.

"We won," Steve nodded, looking up at the sky.

"All right, yay!" Tony leaned back to the floor, pumping an armed fist. "Hurray. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just… take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint two blocks from here. I don't know what it is but I wanna try it."

"We're not finished yet," Thor commented.

Everyone looked up at the tower where Loki still was. So much emotion stirred inside of me but I pushed it down and looked back at Tony.

"And then shawarma after."

We all transported ourselves as we could to the top of the tower. I took Tony with me through my teleportation, now feeling the full extent of my abilities and able to take not only myself.

"Woah," he said as we landed standing on the destroyed living room, "dizzy."

"That's the almost dying, not my fault."

We walked with everyone towards a beat up Loki. He looked even worse than I did when I fought Hulk. And that's saying something. His entire face was cut up and bruised and he stared at the seven of us open mouthed and defeated.

"If it's all the same to you," he said, sitting up, "I'll have that drink now."

Tired but satisfied, we all went down to the shawarma shop after leaving Loki well locked up. I had not yet told Thor anything, but I felt as though it was not the best moment. We should go back to Asgard, settle first. Take a shower and eat a proper meal, not out of these plastic baskets.

We looked like drunk cosplayers having a four A.M. drunk munching episode. Steve held his head in his hand, almost falling asleep. To his right were Natasha and Clint, extended over two chairs, evidently sore. To his left sat Thor, one arm around my chair, the other stuffing food into his mouth endlessly. Next to me was Tony, chewing and making faces as if he were in deep thought, quiet for the first time since I met him. And then there was an eating and shivering Bruce, dressed in borrowed clothing. I stuffed fries dipped in a sauce made of Gods know what which tasted amazing nonetheless. I was to exhausted to care. Actually, I was now on the verge of not having the energy to chew. And food and I had never had a moment where we did not want each other.

The entire meal was eaten without a word. A few grunts and nods were exchanged. And then everyone just stumbled out and into Stark tower, all of us collapsing on one of the living rooms of the lower floors, even Tony who didn't bother going upstairs. In a mess of limbs and couches and cushions and blankets we fell asleep there and didn't move until well past noon the next day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for not updating yesterday! I was super busy I hosted a bachelorette party for a friend and well… let's just say I'm writing this at 10PM tonight because most of the day I was too hungover to work on it. Anyway, hope you like it! We'll get a few chapters before we enter The Dark World since more than a year happened between those two and well there's a lot to play with. But I honestly also want to rush because Ragnarok was the best cinematographic masterpiece I've ever witnessed and I can't wait to write that wow. But here, enjoy:**

The next day, everyone showered and dressed in their own clothes. We walked to a spot near Central Park, Thor grabbing Loki from the handcuffs behind him. A muzzle closed over his mouth making him look even more miserable as he stared at me. What did he expect me to do? I could only stand there and go home with them and hope Asgardian justice would show mercy to him.

Erik helped place the Tesseract in a designated container and handed it to me, giving me a hug before letting go. Everyone else had exchanged our version of goodbyes, none of us much for sentiment at the moment. We knew we wouldn't be so lucky as to not meet again under similar circumstances.

I extended the other end of the container to Thor, who held Loki, connecting him to the Tesseract as well. With it's help I could teleport us to any realm. He nodded to me and I gave one last look to Erik, before twisting my end, aligning the two sides and transporting us back home. Home.

And now it really felt that way without a doubt.

Once on Asgard, we met Odin and Frigga and updated them on everything – or almost everything, since I had yet to tell anyone about my memories coming back. It was not a secret but it felt strange to say it. It did not feel like remembering, it was just suddenly my entire life had much more to it, but it was so natural. After deciding to sleep first, exhaustion from the last week setting in, I took off to my chambers and rested until well after the sun rose the next day.

Even after I woke, I refused to dress or even get out of bed. I felt complete and happy about it… but it also made me see everyone differently. With all this context, what could I make of Thor, or of Loki? Even of myself. I was in complete seriousness considering hiding out the entire day when a knock came at my door. I knew breakfast had passed and Thor walked me to it everyday so he must've wondered if something was wrong. The door opened before I could even roll off the bed, and I sat up wearing nothing but my thin silk nightgown.

Thor walked in, his face flushing slightly when he saw me. He closed the door behind him.

"Lady Neaessa," he cleared his throat, walking over to the bed, "I was wondering if you felt alright? Do you need anything?"

His formality made me laugh. He was hovering so I grabbed his arm and softly pulled him onto the bed, making him laugh with me and sit back against the headboard, looking at me out the corner of his eye.

"I'm serious," he smiled, "I know you must be tired but there's something more… you're acting strange."  
"Good strange or bad strange?"

"I don't think I could ever say anything was bad about you."

I rolled my eyes, shoving him. I looked up at him, my head still on the pillow. How had I lived so long without him? His smile was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. No wonder I was conflicted growing up. I'd been smiling but now I sighed. What was I to make of everything? In all the stories he told me, he never went into the way we'd felt. I understood now why. Even if before I left I was in denial, as were they, now I saw it clearly. How complicated feelings were, and how much easier it would be just to push them all away. Thor was looking at me, his smile sad and concerned, but present as it always was.

"I got my memories back," I whispered.

His entire face fell at my words in complete shock.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, Thor."  
"Well… how?" he was shaking his head, smiling.

I debated telling him the truth. Before understanding everything I wouldn't have. I would've assumed that my friendship with Loki would be enough reason as to why I trusted him with this. But looking back now… I realised this would hurt him. For the past year I'd told him I lost them and left it at that. Is honesty more important than protecting him?

"Does it matter?" I sat up, placing a hand on his arm, "I remember it all. Growing up together, exploring, fighting, everything."

"Prove it," he jokes, clearly just excited, "when did my mother forbid me from riding my horse for a week?"

"When you yelled at me for saying I'd cut your hair while you slept," I chuckled.

"When was the first time we ran away?"

"When you thought they were going to make me marry your cousin who was visiting court."  
"Of course," he laughed, "we were only children. We camped out at the beach, my father seeing us from his window the whole time."

I laughed along with him, tears welling up in both of our eyes. The crying was subtle but we were both overwhelmed. This was it. My home. This was what true happiness felt like, the joy of a complete heart. Or almost complete.

"We never talked about…" Thor cleared his throat, nervous, "we never talked about that kiss again."  
"The kiss?"

We had never kissed. He'd been a flirt towards everyone in his youth, and I was sure he'd done more than kiss plenty of haindmaids and village girls. But I felt as if I kissed him he would stop thinking of me as important and treat me like he did all of them, so I only teased him.  
"On Midgard," he said, "almost a year ago. And I tried not to bring it up because without your memories I wanted to give you time to really know me the way I knew you."

"You thought you were dying when you kissed me."  
"It wasn't just because of that."

Now I understood. In all the events that had been crowded into those first few days of his arrival on Earth, the kiss had been a quick flash, exciting and important, but I'd pushed it out of my head after spending a year together without him ever saying anything about his feelings. I'd assumed it was just that. The strongest goodbye he could give me in that moment.

"No?"

I was now extremely aware of how close we were. I hadn't taken my hand off his arm, but it had slid down and now rested in his. We were sitting on one corner of the bed, our knees touching.

"No," he shook his head with a playful smile.

"Then why did you do it?" unconsciously, we were both leaning closer.

"Because I realised, very shortly after you left, that I had always-"

We were cut off by a sharp knock at my door, making us both jump at the compromising position we were in. I stood up, grabbing my robe from it's hook next to my bed and wrapping myself in it. I pushed the door open slightly, hiding Thor who was still sitting on my bed. On the other side, stood Frigga, fully dressed.

"My dear," she giggled, "you're still not dressed! These aren't hours, do you need help? I can call the maids for you.  
"No, that's not necessesary, I was just taking the day off."

"That's great, I'm glad for once you admit you have limits," she rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Oh, I don't, I just have nothing to do."

"That's what I wanted to tell you actually… my son, he, he wanted to talk to you."

"I'll look for him after I dress," I lied.

"No, not Thor."

"Oh."

"Yes," she nodded, unable to hold my eyes, "he has been sentenced to spend his life in the dungeons. I think it would be a small mercy to show before he never sees you again. He told me… surely you now understand how much this would mean to him?"

"Of course," I was glad she knew. This meant she would tell the Allfather and I didn't have to make awkward unorthodox announcements to which no one knew how to react.

 _Congratulations on the return of your memories! How do you feel knowing most of your relationships are much more complicated than you thought?_

"You don't have to go now, but," she shrugged, "I think it would be best. The longer he spends there the more he will… well, break."

It hurt me to think that so I just nodded and excused myself, smiling softly before closing the door and retreating back into the room. When I turned around Thor was standing next to my desk, his face had hardened and he was absentmindedly playing with a quill I'd left laying there.

A part of me wanted to turn back time to the conversation we'd been having, to see where it led. But the other part of me was glad it was postponed. Call it commitment issues from never having had a single real relationship in thousands of years of life. I walked towards him, stopping in front of the desk and taking the feather from his hand, laying it back on the wood. He looked up and me and offered a smile, half sincere.

"You should dress, I'll meet you for dinner."

I nodded, unable to contradict him as he walked past me and out of the room. I glanced back just in time to see him turning away but I knew he'd looked back at me. I sigh, walking into the huge bathroom and stripping, filling the tub up with water and oils so I could feel truly clean. After washing and drying myself, I dressed in one of my everyday dresses, a black dress with a plunging neckline, which was attractive but appropriate, and sleeveless for the heat of summer that now reigned in Asgard.

With my dark waves still half wet, I walked out of my bedroom and through the corridors filled with guards looking for the dungeons. I had only ever dropped prisoners off, never visited any. At the top of the stairs I hesitated, wondering what he would say. What could I say that would make a difference?

He'd become who he was now and there was nothing I could do to change that, not while he was locked up. With everything I knew about him swirling in my head I stood at the top of the stairs, almost shaking. How had we ended up like this? Of all the futures I thought possible for us this was not one of them. The boy I'd grown up with, quiet and clever, and the man he'd become… even in his worst moments of envy I thought I knew him completely. Enough to predict he would never even try to hurt anyone. And now I didn't know how to feel. Angry about all the people he'd killed, or tried to kill? About the way he'd treated his family and me? Sad? Pitiful?

Forgiving, maybe? Is that it? I considered going in there, saying that I didn't care about anything, that I understood and that I wanted to stay with him even if it meant a lifetime, or many of them, talking through a thick set of glass walls. Wasn't it better than not knowing him at all?

But then I realised I didn't know him. The man I knew was gone. And I didn't want to go in there and face that fact, so I would rather walk away and think that Loki, the Loki I cared so deeply for was the only one. I turned away and almost ran through the corridors, changing with magic in the way and arriving quickly at the training yard, wanting to sweat and fight and curse my thoughts away.

 **I know, short. But it's only because the break fit here, I'm posting another one maybe in the middle of the night or early tomorrow. Thanks so much to everyone reading, especially to those who review it means a lot!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I made a playlist for this story/just for like the general love of Loki and Thor (the songs are more Loki, I'm sorry) but tell me if you'd like me to share it! Anyway here you go:**

The next day I walked out of my room, expecting Thor to be there but finding the hallway empty. I walked to breakfast, shrugging it off and found he wasn't there either.

"Have you seen Thor?" I asked Sif.

"Not since yesterday," she shook her head.

I ate quickly and excused myself deciding to look for him. I walked to the corridor where his room and previously Loki's had been, but after knocking twice I took off. I went to the gardens, the training court and finally the almost finished rainbow bridge, where Heimdall was leading the rebuilding.

"Good morning, Lady Neaessa," he said to me.

"Hi, Heimdall," I replied, "where's Thor?"

"Hiding," he chuckled.

"Can you tell me where?"

"From who?"

"I know where he is, not why."

"Well, can you tell me where?"

I thanked him for telling me and walked confused to the bar where we sometimes went for celebrating or talking with our friends. It was mid morning, definetely not an appropriate time to be there. But sure enough, he was hunched over, an almost empty large glass of Asgardian beer in front of him. Judging from his posture, not his first.

I walked up to him and sat in the stool besides him. He didn't even turn just offering a sad smile.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing too concerning."  
"You're drinking and it's the middle of the morning."  
"It's morning already?"

"How long have you been here?"

He shrugged, downing the rest of his glass and asking for another.

"Let's go home."

"Go ahead, I'll catch up later," he was being nice but I could tell he was trying, unlike usual.

"I'm not leaving you here like this."

"Fine," he stood up, leaving various thick gold coins on the wooden counter, "then I'll find somewhere else to drink."

"Have I upset you?" I chased after him as he walked out of the pub.

"No, you've done nothing."

"I want to help you, it's torture seeing you like this!"

"Then just tell me what you want," he turned around, not quite slurring his words, but intoxicated, "please. Whatever it is you want I'll accept it but I despise not knowing how you feel."

"I thought you knew how I felt."

"You've never exactly been easy to read."  
"Is this why you're drinking?"

"No," he shifted nervously, lying like a child.

"Thor, what the hell? You don't have to get drunk to talk to me!"

"I'm not, yesterday I just spoke to my mother and… well, I felt upset. But now I'm doing two things simol- simus- silmous- at the same time."

"Can I please take you home? You can sleep this off and tell me what you talked about with Frigga when you sober up."

He groaned but nodded, giving up. I teleport us both to his room, to lazy to actually walk him all the way there while he leaned on me and got distracted and stumbled drunkenly. He shook his head dizzily and then fell onto his bed facefirst.

"Join me?" he turned around.

"Sure," I rolled my eyes, laying next to him.

His room was bigger than mine, decorated grandly. I assumed he never changed it from the way he had it in his shallower years during his youth.

"My mother thinks it's unfair of me to confess my feelings now," he mumbled. "She thinks it's too soon, but I've spent countless years wanting to be able to… not hide everything. To just be me. With you."

"It's not selfish," I chastised him, "don't ever think that. You can always be completely honest with me."

"I feel as though you'll never let go completely of my brother," he buried his head into his pillow.

"We meant a lot to each other, all three of us. Of course I'll never let go. But he has chosen his path, and we ours."  
"Had it not been this way, would you prefer him to me?"

"Had I not been sent away I don't know what would've happened. That doesn't mean I don't care for you deeply, it just means we got here a certain way. We could've gotten here through any different life and it would've meant just as much."

"But you do care about me?" he turned to face me now, a teasing smile on his face. I returned it, shoving him softly.

"Is this your idea of manipulating a confession out of me? I know much more romantic ways."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Go to sleep," I stood up, walking out of the room with a smile on my face, despite the feeling that something was also not entirely well placed in the back of my head.

Two months later, full of quality time and training and helping with the final rebuilding of the Bifrost and the bridge, the Warriors Three, Sif, Thor and I were coming back from Jotunheim, our first mission. It had been the first priority to restore peace with them and within their own planet, as they had lost Laufey and needed renewed leadership.

It started with a fight, but in the end we talked to their new appointed leader and signed a peace treaty with minimum casualties. We were covered in blood and freezing from the cold planet.

"I say we celebrate!" Volstagg exclaimed.

"This was just one realm, there is still much to do before celebration is due," Sif replied.

"We have tonight," he grumbled back.

Thor walked besides me, his hand brushing mine.

"I think I'll rest for now. See you all tomorrow."

I teleported to my room and walked into the bathroom, quickly underssing to soak in my tub. I heard the door open and kept my eyes closed.

"May I join you?" Thor asked, already undressing.

"I'm not sure, there isn't that much space," I joked as he got in in, making the water splash out and onto the floor, "well, that's a mess you'll be cleaning."

"Very well," he leaned back against the opposite end of the large marble tub, our legs intertwined.

Neither of us was fully naked, keeping some decency since we hadn't actually slept together yet. He wore his underclothes and I mine, but they weren't exactly conservative.

"You fought bravely today," he said.  
"You could've done better," I shrugged playfully.

"Perhaps bravely was too strong a word."  
We talked and joked for a while, eventually helping each other wash and then laying on my bed. We talked well into the night like we'd been doing at least once every few days since he admitted his feelings. Eventually I yawned and he kissed me goodnight and left.

I slept tired and happy, and felt something throbbing in the back of my head, as if someone was trying to make a hole in there, or a thought was trying to become aware to me. But I ignored it, unsure what to make of it and closed my eyes.

For months things went on like this, action filled days, sometimes entire weeks, fighting to restore the peace in the Nine Realms. Odin would host dinners once in a while to keep out spirits up, but we weren't exactly sad at any moment. Everyone was content to be productive, to have the means to achieve something and the achievement to strive for. And to have each other while we did it.

Odin was completely rejoicing in Thor and I's relationship, even if we hadn't made it public because I realised it was a time of turmoil still, and I knew the Allfather would want a more binding tie than just lovers between us and marriage, well… it felt too soon to think of it. Even knowing him all my life, I had not had him like this ever before, so freely.

Or almost freely. My head still played games with me, throwing nightmares at me of restructured memories of our earlier years, now darker and sadder. I dreamt of Loki rotting away in a dungeon, and sometimes of me being in his place. Other days, I dreamt I tried to free him but couldn't move. And yet, on some days it was him that was free and ruling over Midgard, his blue eyes piercing and his words full of venom and malice.

I pushed these away as much as I could and told no one, hiding my guilty conscience. I wondered what more I could've done. And I tried to force myself to go visit him but always stopped before I got there and I didn't know why.

Perhaps the unhappiest person with the current arrangement was Frigga. Even if she was happy for us she was always closer than Odin to Loki, and she felt his pain. She tried not to say it to me but I could tell in between our little talks.

Now, we stood in the middle of Vanaheim, large explosions raging amongst us, fighting with a bunch of soldiers and peasants who had rebelled while the Bifrost had been down. Sif, the Warriors Three and I had come early, and Thor for some reason had been late. We'd brought other soldiers from Asgard with us, this being one of the most chaotic realms in this time.

I watched as Sif was thrown from her horse with a grunt, and swung her sword wildly. I loved fighting with her. I myself faced multiple masked creatures, using a longsword to swing at them. I preferred my magic but for creatures who didn't fight with magic themselves, I restrained my use. For now I only protected all of us from their gun blasts and healed any wounds that needed it.

The worst part of it was the way everything was on fire, the masked people clearly disregarding lives in place of winning this battle. I tried to stop as many of them as I could while I continued fighting, but even the trees were starting to wither and fall.

I had speared my sword through one of the larger creatures and now jumped on it's horse and rode to the other side of the field where most of the explosions where coming from, containing them until the fires died with dark energy fields. _Just like turning out a candle_ , I thought. Everything was under control until I felt something grab be from behind, pulling me off the horse. I teleported out of it's hold and landed behind it, cutting through it's neck with a groan. Ten more like it surrounded me and I was considering whether to fight or flight when a large flash of light came besides me, a hammer thrown out of it smashing through three of the heads of these people.

Always one for a dramatic entrance, the hammer landed back in Thor's hand as the energy from the Bifrost dissipated. Thor jumped through the air and landed with his hammer onto the ground, throwing lightning in every direction and making creatures fall promptly.

"You know, I thought we weren't here to show off," I smirked at him between the falling dirt that rained down from the blast.

"We've got this completely under control!" Sif complained from another side of the battle.

"Is that why everything's on fire?" Thor asked smiling as a group of creatures smashed into him from behind.

"Leave him to it," I told Sif who had already about to help.

"You're too mean," she laughed, turning to drive her sword into the creature running at her.

We kept fighting the continuous chaos, I contained fires while simultaneously throwing energy at the creatures who ran at me, or swordfighting the ones who got a little too close. Thor was behind me, using his hammer and his fists. At different points he kept trying to steal the creatures I was fighting from me, using his hammer to smash through them.

One of the creatures shot a ball of fire directly at Thor's turned head and I stopped it middair, making it simmer down inches before it burned his hair off.

"You're welcome," I smirked.

"It would've only grazed me," he smirked back jokingly.

"It would've left you bald."  
He looked genuinely scared at this for a second before a huge roar drowned out all the other sounds of the fight, making everyone stop and turn towards the sound. Large steps walked towards us and over a hill, a giant made of rocks appeared.

"I could take that," I muttered.

"Go ahead."

"You showed up late, I think it's your turn."

Thor turned giving me a look before walking towards it as the creatures and masked people chanted it's name. It's smashed it's bat into the ground and roared loudly.

"Hello," Thor nodded, making it roar at him again. "I accept your surrender."

Everyone laughed, including Thor, except the creature who kept making groaning noises and leaning towards him. Thor spun Mjolnir and swiftly threw it upwards, with one blow making all the rocks blow up and fall apart, earning shocked gasps from the crowd.

"Anyone else?" he asked, standing in front of the pile of rubble that had been their best warrior.

No one said anything, everyone taking a knee except the Asgardian warriors who stood proudly in the midst of the messy battlefield.

"Perhaps next time we should start with the big one," Fandral pointed out.

Clean up was exhaustive, but we helped civilizations like this in the name of peace. Especially since one of our own friends, Hogun was a native himself. He walked around happily after every fire had been quenched and smiled at the running children and the cleaning men. I, meanwhile, directed the soldiers in loading the rebelling prisoners onto containers that would fit through the Bifrost.

"Hogun is staying here with his people," Thor walked up to me as the last container was sent through the rainbow bridge, the last group of Asgardian soldiers behind it. Only him and I remained.

"I'm glad, he deserves it," I replied.

"Do I get a prize for winning us the battle?"

"Hm, I wouldn't consider your actions exactly that. You scored the final touchdown. I scored the most points in the game."  
"What game?"

"I'll explain later, I need to change out of these clothes first," I wiggled my eyebrows.

Thor laughed and we walked into the Bifrost's light, appearing in Heimdall's room as we arrived. He greeted us kindly and offered his congratulations for the success. We walked to the training grounds where the soldiers that hadn't gone to Vanaheim kept practicing, and Sif, always a source of neverending energy was already going at it.

"Care for a spar?" she offered.

"I think I've had enough for today," I replied as Thor and I walked up to Odin, who was overseeing everyone.

"Is Vanaheim secure?" Odin asked us.

"As are Nornheim and Ria," Thor nodded, "though our work would have gone more quickly with you at the fore."

"You must think I'm a piece of bread that needs that needs to be buttered so heavily," Odin replied.

"That was not my intent," Thor smiled, leaning forward on the balcony.

"For the first time since the Bifrost was destroyed, the Nine Realms are at peace," Odin said, "they're well reminded of our strength and you have earned their respect and my gratitude."

"That means a lot, Allfather," I smiled.

"Nothing out of order except…" he struggled.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"It might be nothing," he shrugged, "but Heimdall insisted I tell you."  
"Tell me what?"

"Your friends, the ones you asked he keep an eye on… well, one of them seems to be in a bit of trouble."  
"Is it bad?" I asked, instantly worried.

"He said it wasn't terrible, and you know he is quite honest. I suggest you ask him about it after the feast tonight."  
"I don't think I can wait that long."  
"Well, it's an order," he turned and faced us, placing one hand on each of our armored shoulders, "rejoice. You've both fought valiantly for Asgard. Embrace and celebrate what you've won. Human lives are fleeting, don't fret too much on them, predicaments are their constant condition. The time is coming for you both to realise this, to step up and fulfill your duties. But now, join your warriors. Eat and drink, revel in their celebration. Enjoy yourselves."

We thanked him and walked away, but where before we had been content in our victory, now I felt concern for Erik take over. I wondered what had concerned Heimdall so.

 **Sorry, I'm slowing down I got a big writer's block this weekend. But anyway I'm starting on the next chapter right now. I think the block is gone yay!**


	15. Chapter 15

It was snowing at night as I walked towards the feast. I wore a nice blue and black dress with silver details and a black cape to cover myself from the cold. It had been a strange day after we'd returned from Vanaheim.

First, Odin gave us his little talk. I left it concerned, for Erik and for the duties he talked of fullfilling. Commitment made me worry so much. Afterwards, I was asked to oversee the imprisonment of some of the criminals into the dungeons. Whenever this happened I stayed a little bit behind the first cage on the right, knowing that's where he would be. Only once had I made the mistake of not knowing and I'd stormed away after he began calling my name.

Today was no different, except I felt a stronger pull to talk to him than usual. I peeked around the corner and saw him reading on his couch. A part of me felt glad he has such comforts, but I very well knew the eternity he had to look forward to was misery even if every book in the universe was available to him.

He didn't see me so I stared until the soldiers were done locking up the prisoners and told me I could leave. I was not really needed there, but it was procedural to have some higher authority for an emergency.

Now as I walked to the feast I enjoyed the dark sky, pockmarked by the beautiful white snow, and ignored thoughts of anything other than what I had in front of me. Friends, family, Thor. That was all I could wish for.

We sat next to each other, all of us, and ate and drank and laughed well into the night. When Odin retired to his chambers I decided it was as good a time as any to visit Heimdall and ask him about Erik. Thor followed me and I pretended not to notice until we were a ways away from the feast, when I teleported behind him, making him confused until I tapped his shoulder, covered in a greyish blue cloak which I loved.

"It's not very polite to sneak behind people," I teased him.

"It's not polite to sneak away from a feast either," he towered over me.

"Do you need something?" I smiled cheekily.

He smiled back and leaned closer to me, pressing his palm into the column behind me, my back pressed against it as well. His face was inches from mine, always so smiling and joyous.

"I'm not the one refusing to celebrate."

"I was only taking a break."  
"Hm," he closed the space between us, pushing his soft lips onto mine.

I placed my hands on his chest, kissing him back for a moment only before pulling back.

"I need to talk to Heimdall," I said.  
"Should I come with you?"  
"There's no need, I know you were enjoying yourself."  
"Only because you were there."  
"Stop being cringey," I punched him lightly and he laughed.

"I'll come with you, I care for our Midgardian friends as well."  
We walked side by side into Heimdall's workplace where he was standing watch, dutiful as ever.

"What happened, Heimdall?" I asked him when we got there.

"Your friend, Erik," he responded, "he is unwell."  
"I know, but has something happened? Has he hurt himself?"

"Technically no, he is currently residing in a contained environment."  
"A prison?" I exclaimed.  
"Not a prison… I believe it is for older people who can't function well anymore."  
"Well, who put him there?"

Jane and Darcy would never.

"He took to a monument without any clothing and began to preach things which made the authorities and civilians scared. They thought it best to lock him up."  
"And where are Jane and Darcy?"

"Jane," he suddenly stopped, his brow furrowed, "… I cannot see her anymore."  
"What do you mean you can't see her?"

"She was studying the Convergence like I am and now… I've lost sight of her."  
"Send us to where she ways," I react instantly.

"As you wish," he does as we ask him, and Thor and I walk into the light.

We fly through the rainbow bridge, the beauty of it never ceasing to amaze. We finally land on the ground, around us a circle of symbols as usual. The weather is downcast and the cop cars everywhere instantly make me realise we've arrived in London.

"Anna?" Darcy screams, running over to us.

"Darcy, where's Jane?"

"Where are your clothes?" she looks me up and down, then turns to Thor, "hi, big guy!"

"Hello, Lady Darcy," he smiles at her.

"You taking care of my friend?"

"As much as she allows me to," he concedes.

"Darcy, Jane," I repeat.

"I don't know, that's why I called the cops," she explains, "we were exploring the building because the energy patterns coming from it were like the ones your light transport thingy makes and then she walked off and disappeared."

I walk towards the entrance, Thor and Darcy following closely behind. One of the policemen walks over to me.

"Ma'am, you can't go in there," he said nervously.

"I'm authorized, trust me," I replied.

Just as I pushed past him, Jane came running out of the building, clearly confused at all the cop cars.

"Jane!" Darcy shouts, running up to her, "where the hell were you?"

"Tell me you didn't call the police," she snaps angrily.

"What was I supposed to do?" Darcy replies.

"Not call the police!"

"Hi, Jane," I interrupted.

"Oh, wow," she said, only now taking notice of Thor and I, "how many people did you call?" she asked Darcy.

"You were gone for five hours," Darcy justifies.

"Just… don't call the cops," Jane turns her attention back to Darcy, "we have a stable gravitation anomaly! We don't want S.H.I.E.L.D. up our asses."  
I looked around us at the rain that had begun to fall, the cops cowering into their cars but none of it falling on the four of us, a perfect circle seemingly protecting us.

"What the hell?" I asked.

"What?" Thor said to me.  
"The rain," I answered, making Jane and Darcy notice as well.

"I thought you were doing that," he said.

"I'm not."

"Wait, why did you come here?" Darcy asked.  
"Heimdall could not see Jane," Thor explained.

"You have someone spying on us?" Jane asked.

"No, he watches over you," Thor shrugs.

"That's not better! That's creepy!"

"Conspiracy theorists were right type of creepy," Darcy nods.

"Heimdall informed us of an occurrence with Erik," I said, "but then he suddenly lost sight of you. We had to make sure you were okay. And evidently, something is not."

"Well, why not just come check up on us?" Jane asked, "we've missed you, Erik's missed you!"  
"There were kind of multiple wars raging," I shrugged.

"We had to put an end to the slaughter and restore peace to the Nine Realms after the Bifrost was destroyed," Thor said.

"Did you not watch the news? There was also a thing last year with his brother in New York," I added.

"As far as excuses go, it's not terrible," Jane conceded.

"Um," Darcy interrupts everyone as the rain stops falling, commanded by Thor, "I'm pretty sure we are getting arrested."

Sure enough, multiple officers are approaching us. I honestly did think there would be a bit more respect for Thor and I after we kind of saved them from living as slaves to an alien species.

"Do you know this man?" one of the cops asked.

"He's my intern," Darcy nodded, smiling.

"You've got an intern?" I asked.

"It's temporary," Jane snapped.

"This is private property," the cop continued, "and you're tresspassing. You'll have to come with me."

He placed his hand on Jane's arm, her being the nearest to him, and a flash of red light errupted from them, throwing him backwards onto the ground, then what seemed like an explosive force field threw everyone down and broke the glass windows of the cars. Thor placed his arm protectively over me and after the red light faded I pushed him away and walked over to Jane.

"Are you okay?" I asked her urgently.

"I feel fine," she said, looking down at her hands, "what just happened?"

"I think-"

"Place your hands on your head and step back," another cop came up to us, shaking.

"My friend is unwell, I know healthcare in Midgard isn't ideal, but I'm taking her to be cured now," I replied.

"Heimdall!" Thor called, walking up to us.

"Wait!" Darcy shouted, but it was too late, and we were flying back to Asgard.

Jane stared at everything in awe, the way I had the first time without my memory. We landed safely, the sun already rising, everyone having rested from last night's festivities but us.

"We have to do that again!" Jane said excitedly looking around.

"I see you've brought your friend," Heimdall nodded, disapproval clear in his voice.

"It's temporary," I gave him an innocent shrug making him chuckle.

"Tell that to the Allfather."

"Who's the Allfather?"

"Thor's father," I answered.

"But if he's the Allfather does that mean… is he your brother?" she whisper yelled the last part.

"No, Jane, he is not."

"Oh, good," she nodded.

"I'll inform my father of her arrival," Thor said to me.

"Let's get you to the healers," I took her arm, giving Thor a small smile before teleporting with her.

"I am never going to get used to any of your weird transportation methods," she exhaled as we landed in the healer's room.

They all looked at me and nodded or smiled, used to my presence as I made Thor and the other warriors come when they refused to, or I helped them heal wounds which they needed magic for.

"Ladies," I smiled at them, "I've brought you something interesting."

"Is she human?" one of them with psychic abilities asked me.

"And she's got a very strange condition," I pushed her slightly over to them.

They lay her down on a bed while she looked amazed at everything. I liked the fascination she showed for the things that now seemed so simple to us. They brought up the soul forge, her body's information all showing above her.

"That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" she asked them.

"It's a soul forge," one of the older healers replied.  
"Does a soul forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?" Jane asked knowingly.

"Yes," the healer nodded, quite surprised.

"Quantum field generator," Jane whispered to me.

I nodded and laughed, but turned to the healer besides me.

"Do you know what it is?" I took her to the side, so that Jane wouldn't overhear.

"We don't yet, no," she answered, "but she won't survive the amount of energy surging within her."  
She apologized and walked away. I turned back to Jane just as the door opened, Thor walking in behind a storming Odin.

"Do my words mean nothing to you?" he snaps.

"She is ill," Thor explained behind him.

"She is mortal," Odin rolled his eyes, "illness is their defining trait."

He waved away the soul forge, dissipating it into thin air.

"Allfather, you know I wouldn't have brought her here if I did not think it urgent."

"She does not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table."  
"Did he just call me a goat?" Jane asked indignant.

"Jane, don't-" I tried but she interrupted me.

"Excuse me, who do you think you are?"

"I am Odin, King of Asgard," he replied, "Protector of the Nine Realms."

"Oh, well, I'm Jane Foster."

"Neaessa's Midgardian friend, I've heard," he said, "and I appreciate that you get along well when it is appropriate that she visit your planet. But your people should not be here."

"Something is within her, something we have not seen before," Thor explained.

"Her world has healers, they're called doctors," Odin shook his head, "let them deal with it."

"I don't think you understand, my King."  
"How bad can it be? Guards, take her back to Midgard."

"No, I would not-" Thor was interrupted as the guard's touched Jane, causing the same eruption as we'd seen earlier once again.

Odin now turned back around and rushed to her side.

"But you wouldn't listen," I muttered.  
"By the Nine Realms," Odin placed his hand hovering over her arm, seeing red energy pulse through it, "it's impossible."

"It's defending her, the infection," one of the healers said.

"It's defending itself," I corrected.

"Come with me, the three of you," Odin ordered.

I helped Jane off the bed and we walked behind the king. He took us to one of his less frequented chambers, a small library with only history books that he allowed few people to read. I had been here as a child with Thor and Loki, when he would tell us stories and let us study things as they really were, the pictures amazing us and the characters giving us something to act out during playtime with wooden swords.

"There are relics that pre-date the universe itself," Odin began, "what lies within her appears to be one of them. The Nine Realms are not eternal. They had a dawn and they will have a dusk. Before that dawn, the dark forces, the dark elves reigned absolutely unchallenged. Their darkness, unlike Neaessa's was one of chaos not tranquility."  
He opened one of the books, showing the gold tinted pictures of the large eyed elves I remembered from my childhood. I never liked their stories I thought that the universe they wanted sounded dull and heavy.

"Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves come to steal away the light," Thor read.

"This isn't class time, Thor, you don't have to read out loud," I chuckled.

"Their leader, Malekith, made a weapon out of that darkness and it was called the Aether," Odin continued.

"Another infinity stone," I nodded, "great."

"Infinity stone?" Jane asked.

"Like the Tesseract," I answered, "the Cube Loki used to gain control of Erik and open the portal to another world."

"Yes, but while the other relics often appear as stones," Odin said, "the Aether is fluid and ever changing. It changes matter into dark matter. It seeks our host bodies, drawing strength from their life force. Malekith sought to use the Aether's power to return the universe to one of darkness. But after eternities of bloodshed, my father, Bor, finally triumphed, ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years."  
"What happened?" Jane asked.

"He killed them all," Odin replied, closing the book sharply.

"Are you certain?" Thor inquired, "the Aether was said to have been destroyed with them, and yet here it is."

"The Dark Elves are dead," Odin looked at him seriously.

"And if they are not?" I said.

"They would have already come for the Aether, wouldn't have they?"

"Well, this is the first convergence that has happened since they were all supposedly destroyed, it's been hidden until Jane stumbled upon it," I added.

"They are dead," Odin said with finality.

"Doesn't the book happen to mention how to get it out of me?" Jane asked.

"No, it does not," Odin is visibly done with us.

He walks off, leaving the three of us behind.

"Thor, Neaessa, I will see you two in the throne room," he said as he walked off, "leave Jane in a protected room."

"Protected?" Jane was apprehensive.  
"Guarded," he called already turning to the next hall.

"It will only be a while," I said to her, taking her to a decently sized room and leaving her there, "this is for the best. We need to find a way to cure you."  
"Yeah, I know," she nodded, already looking around.

"You'll find plenty to do, I suppose," I eye the few books some guest left on the desk at some point.

I left the room, two guards sent by Odin already standing in front of the door. I saw a handmaid walking towards us carrying some simple clothes so she could be better dressed for her setting and walked away, knowing she'd be kept comfortable.

I walked away and found Thor waiting for me outside in the walkway to Odin's throne room. He was still dressed in his clothes from the night before, but I had used magic to change into my armor, only keeping the cloak since it was still quite cold from the unexpected snow.

"What do you think will happen to her?" I asked him as we walked.

"I don't think she will die, not if there is anything to be done," he replied.

"Your father said there isn't."

"My father doesn't know everything."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Frigga chuckled, and we turned to see her standing behind us.

"Hello, my Queen," I smiled at her.

"Mother," Thor nods with a smile.

"I understand your father threw quite a tantrum over the mortal girl?" she playfully made a face.

"He'll get over it," I said, "I wouldn't have brought her if I had not know it was something big."

"And indeed it is," Frigga agreed, "we had not even thought the Aether was alive."

"As we do not think the elves are," I said.  
"Let's hope they are not," Thor shook his head.

"Thor, will you head to the throne room and give us a minute?" she asked him.

"Of course," he smiled and kissed both our cheeks before walking off.

"Always the charmer," Frigga winked at me.

"What's on your mind?" I asked her.

"I visited Loki today again. He misses you dearly. Even more than he did when you were gone for thirty years."  
"I am still surprised at how short it all now seems in retrospect."

"My child, I don't want to pressure you, but I know you care for him. You will regret it if you don't see him now."

"Don't we have almost an eternity of time in which I will be here and he will be a few steps away whether he wants to or not?"  
"Ness, I know how hard it is. But try not to hide your pain behind anger. It will hurt both of you so much more."  
"I… I've tried, my Queen," my voice shakes, and if I weren't so proud I might cry, "I've found myself there countless times but I never have the courage to see him. I feel as if facing him will be the final blow that will break me apart. I cared for him so much…"

I was interrupted by a sudden storming of soldiers next to us, shouting from the training grounds breaking the peace and quiet of midday in Asgard.

"To the dungeons!" I heard one of them shout.

Both of our eyes widen as we face each other again.

"I'll take care of your friend, go find Thor," she instructed me.  
"Frigga," I worriedly grabbed her, "don't worry, go hide yourself."  
"Have I ever been one for hiding?" she smiled, kissing my cheek, "go. And then… remember that first second of panic you felt. Did you not in that moment wish you had talked to him?"

She smiled one last time before retreating into the hallway as I teleported into the throne room. Thor was standing there with his father, still unaware to the commotion.

"The prisons," I said.

"Loki," Thor instantly stated.

"Go," I nodded and he called Mjolnir to him, discarding his heavy cloak and flying through one of the windows.

"Come with me," Odin told me, and I nodded as we walked out of the room, instantly flanked by a dozen guards which Odin began to order around.

After they nodded and ran off each to fulfill their assigned duty. Suddenly I felt a presence at the edge of Asgard, as if a piece of darkness was calling to me… I knew some who used dark magic claimed to be haunted by it but the magic I used never came from the darkness of evil, but of night. The kind of darkness without which stars could not be seen.

"Odin," I said, bringing his attention to me, "I think there's something worse happening than the riot."  
"What is it, child?"

I felt as if the presence was behind me, following me. I turned around just as through the window a giant ship became visible. I saw Heimdall run towards it, plunging his sword and throwing it into the water with much effort, but behind it at least three more came like it. A little relief settled through me as I realised it had not been a presence as much as Heimdall attempting to warn me of what he saw. But the relief was followed with worry as to why he had not seen it before and what we could do to stop them.

Aside from the following ships that had appeared, a much larger, looming one manifested now in the sky. The smaller ones flew towards the palace.

"Make them activate the force field," I exclaimed, "it will keep the prisoners in and the ships out."

"You heard her," Odin ordered the nearest guard.

Guns were firing at the ships, but they were skillfully piloted. The golden lightfield began to rise around the palace. The first few ships crashed into it and I sighed in relief. As I was thinking we might have a chance to completely revert this damage and imprison whoever had caused it the force field seemed to be smashed into by someone tearing it down onto the ground.

 _Well, shit._


	16. Chapter 16

The loudest sound I've ever heard was the slam of the ship as it tore through the palace, making columns fall down in it's path, trampling dozens of people on the way. It was more than halfway through the throne room by the time I ran back and stopped it using an energy force field as large as I could. It skidded to a halt and everyone ran away around it and the ruin it had caused.

I dropped the field and stood in front of four guards who drew their swords behind me, ready to see what would emerge. More guards quickly ran up and before I knew it, a dozen men were readily standing there. We all held our breath until the ship's entrance opened slowly, red light beaming through. From above, rays began firing at all of us. I threw energy back at them, smashing them middair, the ones I couldn't blasting the guards who held their shields up in defense. Out of the doorway stumbled elves like the ones we'd just been looking at in history books.

If only this man ever listened to anyone. I threw energy at them, having to do it one by one so it would be effective immediately. They fell to the ground, the rest fightng the soldiers and taking several of them down. More and more kept coming from both sides, fighting as hard as they could. They brought out their guns now, throwing what seemed like granades into the air which opened up dark masses of energy which sucked the soldiers in helplessly.

With a ball of dark light I smashed the guns before the elves now, ducking when the granades came my way, knowing I could not simply destroy them. The battle was raging fully by the time an elf unlike the others walked out of the ship with an air of leadership.

"Malekith?" I questioned with a gasp.

I had only ever seen paintings, but it was unmistakable. The disgusting cold behind that face.

"I am glad to see I am not forgotten, Daughter of Scotus," he spoke in his gravely voice.

He grabbed my head before I could stop him and instantly I felt my world getting dark as I fell to the ground in a heap. I couldn't stand or open my eyes and slowly the blackness consumed me until I was gone.

It felt like hours of shifting through sticky black matter before I felt somebody shaking me. I was not sleeping, but fully awake inside my mind in a place where thankfully my body was not. I could barely breathe.

"Neaessa," I struggled to follow the voice that called me, "wake up, please."

With all my strength I opened my eyes, from the struggle accidentally unleashing a wave of dark energy that flew through the room and into the walls, sending Thor flying back. He rushed back to my side and I saw his eyes, red and swollen, his face blotched from crying.

"What has happened?"

"They're gone," he nodded, beginning to cry once more, "they're gone."

He buried his face in my shoulder and I held him, confused.

"Thor?"

"I thought he had killed you too," he sobbed.

"Who? Who did he-"

"Mother," he could not say her name.

A gasp got caught halfway through my throat, my eyes beginning to water as well. With all the strength I had I hugged him as he was hugging me, unable to hold back a shaking cry. The only mother figure I had any recollection of was gone. Taken by them. Anger and sadness swam through me and I was tempted to let the anger take completely over when I remembered the last thing she'd said to me.

 _Try not to hide your pain behind anger. It will hurt so much more._ So I wept. And I kept crying until the funeral came, where I went empty of tears and let the service be worthy of her. She was a Queen and a warrior. She deserved to be mourned as she deserved a service where she was not wept for, but admired for her actions. She'd been the best sorceress, queen and mother I could have ever wished for.

Thor and I stood together next to Odin, Sif directly on the other side of him. Behind us, the Volstagg and Fandral, and behind them Jane surrounded by soldiers and women who had known and loved Frigga. We all participated throwing our lights into the sky, as they crowded together and became a star. What she deserved in death.

To have gone burning into the night, followed by countless offers and then the star. It was everything we could give her and yet I wished for more. I wished I could thank her for everything in full. And I knew my last words to her had not been confessions of appreciation and daughter like love, but what did those mean if we said them often and empty? She knew how I cared for her. And I knew she'd gone caring for me. For all of us.

I knew now I had no choice but to do as she had wanted me to for months. Even if it meant letting go of my anger and facing my pain, I knew in this moment she needed me to see Loki. And I needed to see him, because even if I hated to admit it, I cared for the way he would be feeling now. His mother had always been the closest in the family to him.

So after the funeral ended, while everyone headed off to mourn in their chambers, the mess of the battle still polluting Asgard, I walked to the torn apart dungeons. Few prisoners had not escaped, but most had been locked once again. They were riled up from the moment's freedom after years or months of imprisonment so they began to scream when they saw me.

I ignored it and teleported into the cell, blocking out everyone with a dark curtain.

"It's been a year," he spoke behind me, "and you only come because of what… guilt?"

"No," I don't face him yet, "respect."  
He laughs softly and I turn around. He's standing there, his hair longer than before and his eyes greener than they had been on Midgard. Unmistakably _him._ I let out a shaky breath.

"No more illusions," I told him.

"Fine," he said as the image shook around us, showing the reality of the broken furniture, the torn up books and the whole wrecked room.

He lay against the wall in a thin green undershirt and his black trousers, torn. His foot was bloodied and I sighed and sat next to him. He didn't react, didn't pull me close or push me away, just sat staring at nothing.

"Did she suffer?" he finally asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't there."  
"Then _where_?" he spat.

"Loki, don't," I shook my head, "we can deal with anger later. I'm not here to fight you. If you must know, the same creature that killed her rendered me unconscious. I was useless. I couldn't stop it."

I tried to stop the tears from forming but failed. I cried quietly to spare him my feelings.

"Would you have come, had tragedy not struck?"

"I tried to, many times. I could not face you… not after remembering."  
"I tried to talk to you, through telepathy," he confessed, "but something blocked me out. The cell, most likely."  
"I felt you anyway," I admitted.

We didn't look at each other, just sat there in shared grief. This was not the reunion I imagined, but the one we both needed in this moment.

"It wasn't… entirely me, back on Earth."  
"I know. I saw your eyes."

"I cannot blame it all on the Tesseract, but some cruelties I said… you were not always a lie. At least not of your own will. The lie was being led to believe I had a chance at a life with you, when clearly you were meant for someone my father deemed better. More."

"I know it was not all the Tesseract, you chose a darker path. You tried to kill your father, your brother, for the throne. You betrayed and hurt…"

"You don't understand what things were like!" he almost screams.

"I do, I was here for most of them!"  
"Then you left!" he exclaims, shaking with frustration, "it was thirty years! You have no idea, you couldn't."

"That is less than the lives of humans which you call flashing and futile, which you so easily destroyed."

"You have no idea what kind of manipulation, what kind of pain I was under!"

"This isn't the time," I snapped with finality.

He pauses.

"You gave me no other."  
"We have to get justice, for your mother."

"The last thing I said to her… was that she was not."  
"Loki, the last thing you said won't matter to her. In her last breaths, she remembered the parts of you she loved best not the parts she saw last."  
He stayed quiet. I stood up.

"I will give you time to mourn," I said.

"And I will foolishly hope you choose to come back," he replied.

"Perhaps a bit of foolishness is what you need," I spoke sadly, "you think yourself too clever. And yet those you call fools live in the warmness of love and family and happiness."  
"Spare me," he growls, "if you wanted me conscious of my brother's superior blessings, you needn't keep talking."  
"It's not a contest," I shook my head, "he never wanted it to be. I wish you didn't either."  
I teleport out of there, dropping the dark curtain I had created just in time to see his illusion is back up, and he looks well dressed, the room clean. How I felt sorry that he had no place to hide and mourn without his mind's tricks. My heart racing from our first meeting in a year, I ran away to the throne room to find Odin, Thor and anyone else who was wise and angry enough to want to put a stop to this.

 **Hi – short but hey, we got some Loki interaction. The rest of the Dark World related chapters with Loki will have more sexual tension and flirtier, fun content, but well his mother just died. So anyway, thanks so much for being here and especially to those who reviewed!**

 **Shakira-Nakita:** **yes, the eyes thing was indeed on purpose, but it's not an original idea. One of the movie producers said they worked with special effects to make a slight change to Tom's eyes just for a subtle understanding that he was not a full on villain, but an antagonist. And thank you for the kind words3**


	17. Chapter 17

"I do not wish to fight with you," Odin said to Thor as I walked into the destroyed throne room.

"Nor I with you," Thor replied as his father walked past him, turning and seeing me. "But I intend to pursue Malekith."

Everyone else who had been at the meeting had left and now only the three of us stood there.

"We possess the Aether," Odin replied, "Malekith will come to us."

"So we wait for him to destroy us?" I asked.

"You overestimate the power of these creatures," Odin said.

"No, we value our people's lives," Thor interjects, "I'll take Jane to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard. When Malekith pulls the Aether from her it will be exposed and vulnerable, we will destroy it and him."

"If you fail, you risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies," Odin spoke.

"Do we not risk much more by doing nothing?" I asked.

"His ship could be over our heads right now and we would never even know it."  
"If and when he comes, his men will fall on 10,000 Asgardian blades."

"And how many of our men shall fall on theirs?" Thor snapped.

"As many as are needed!" Odin shouted, then doubled slightly in pain with an _ah,_ "we will fight! Till the last Asgardian breath. Till the last drop of Asgardian blood."

I held back from saying anything, his pain evident. You could not reason with a mourning man.  
"Then how are you different from Malekith?" Thor questioned.

"The difference is that I will win," Odin walked away.

Thor raged next to me and I held his hand. He grabbed mine back and squeezed it. I looked at him, his hair in soft waves falling around his face, making me want to run my fingers through it and comfort him, drive away the wrath that was now inside of him. But I had a much stronger desire to use that wrath and get revenge.

"I'm about to ask you to do something dangerous," he said.

"Good," I responded, "I was getting scared you weren't."

Thor and I sat in the bar where around a year ago I found him stumbling drunk. We sat away from the crowded stools and on an empty table and ordered quite a bit of mead. Thor also ordered some food for himself, which I took small pecks from making him snap his fork at my hand jokingly. Heimdall walked in a few minutes later and walked up to us.

"You were not at Odin's war council," he said to both of us, "the Bifrost is closed by his orders. No one is to come or go."

He removed his helmet and placed it on the table before drawing a chair and sitting. He was actually quite handsome, but he hid it partially behind the extremely covered and embellished golden uniform.

"We face an enemy that is invisible even to me," Heimdall lamented, "what use is a guardian such as that?"

"Any realm could only wish for a guardian like you, even without your sight," I remarked.

"Malekith will return, you know this," Thor stated, before looking around warily, "we need your help."

"I cannot overrule my king's wishes," Heimdall acknowledged "even for you."

"We're not asking you to," I insisted.

"The realms need their Allfather strong and unchallenged," Thor admitted, "whether he is or not. But he is blinded, Heimdall. By hatred and by grief."  
"As are we all," Heimdall responded.

"I see clearly enough," Thor countered.

"The risks are too great," Heimdall shook his head.

"Everything we do from here on is a risk. There is no other way."

"What do you require of me?" Heimdall finally asked.

"What I'm about to ask of you is treason of the highest order," Thor began.

"We might need to work on that selling line," I remarked.

"Success will bring us exile, and failure shall mean our death," he continued.

"Honestly, please don't ever go into a career in diplomacy," I added.

He continued to explain the plan to Heimdall, who regretfully agreed. Afterwards, we explained everything – or rather I did, since Thor was clearly the worse of the two of us with words – to everyone involved. Or almost everyone. We were just missing one person.

"I'll tell him," I said to Thor.

"I think it should be me," he countered.

"He likes me better."

"I think that's part of the problem," he argued.

We finally snuck down into the dungeons together, after I set a cloaking spell on both of us. We found Loki the only place he could be. Thor walked up to him first while I waited in the shadows.

"Thor," he stood, "after all this time you finally come to visit me. Why? Have you come to gloat? To mock?"

"Enough, Loki," Thor spoke calmly, "I come to offer you the chance for the richest sacrament you could wish for."  
"Go on," he nodded.

"I know you seek vengeance as much as we do," I finally walked up to the glass, "if you help us escape Asgard we will grant it to you."  
"Vengeance," Thor interceded, "and afterward, this cell."

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help," Loki chuckled.

"You think too little of yourself," I joked.

"What makes you think you can trust me?" Loki questioned.

"I don't," Thor replied, "Mother did. But you should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you."

It does.

"You betray me, and I will kill you," Thor concluded.

He will.

"Hmm," Loki smirked, "when do we start?"

The three of us walked out of the dungeons, fully dressed in our battle clothing. Loki's as usual, was the least armour like of the three of us. The team was reminding me of the days when we would often embark on missions together, except they weren't as life threatening or considered treason.

"This is so unlike you, brother," Loki said excitedly, "so clandestine. I expected it more from Neaessa. It was her idea, wasn't it? Are you sure you wouldn't rather just punch your way out?"

"If you keep speaking, I just might," Thor grumbled.

"Fine, as you wish," Loki nodded, "I'm not even here," he shifted into a common guard, "is this better?"

"It's better company, at least," Thor responded.

"Maybe Ness would prefer something else," he shifted into Sif.

"If only you could act more like her," I rolled my eyes.

"You're right… we could be less conspicous."  
Suddenly, next to me Thor shifted into Sif and Loki shifted back to himself.  
"Hm, brother," Loki said, "now I'm in rather ravishing company."

Thor stopped in his tracks, his movements looking silly in Sif's body. He looked himself up and down and groaned.

"It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form," Thor's voice came from Sif's mouth, making me chuckle.

"Very well," Loki nodded, "perhaps you prefer one of your new companions, given that you seem to like them so much."

I saw as he shifted himself into Steve Rogers, fully attired as Captain America. I looked at myself and realised he'd made me look like Tony.

"Why doesn't mine include a suit?" I asked.

"It's still much better," he spoke with Steve's voice, "oooh. The costume is a bit much. So tight. But the confidence… I can feel the righteousness surging. Hey," he walked backwards, "do you want to have a rousing discussion about truth? Honor? Patriotism? God bless Amer-"

He was cut off as I shoved him into one of the hallway's columns, his entire body and mine enveloped in green light as we shifted back to our real bodies. I felt his chest centimeters from mine, his green eyes boring into my grey ones with a playful deepness.

"What?" Loki snapped when I took my hand off his mouth, licking his pink lips.

"Shh," I said as a couple of guards walked by, trying to ignore that my heart was racing as it always did when I was too close to him.

Damn the nerves of separation. I wasn't used to seeing his goddamn smirk, those sharp cheekbones twisting when he smiled, his hair completely pushed back, longer now than it had ever been. Gods, couldn't we just lock him up again? I stepped back, feeling Thor's eyes on my head.

"You could at least furnish me with a weapon," Loki said to both of us, "my dagger, something."

He nodded excitedly as Thor looked at him, a tired expression on his face. Thor pulled something out of the back of his cloak, making Loki smirk.

"At last, a little common sense…." Loki trailed off as he saw the handcuffs now around his wrists.

I chuckled, making Thor smile.

"And I thought you liked tricks," Thor mocked as we continued walking.

A few feet down the hall, Sif and Jane were coming up. What a sight they were together, two of my friends. I knew Sif didn't like her much, feeling as though she'd been her replacement while I was on Earth, when honestly, Jane had only been in my life for the past few years, ever since Erik decided we needed fresh eyes to help us.

"You're…" Jane pointed at Loki.

"I'm Loki, you may have heard of me."

She threw her hand harshly across his cheek, making him pull back and laugh. I saw Sif rolling her eyes out of the corner of my eye.

"That was for New York," she snapped.

"Hm, I get why you like her," Loki smirked at me.

"She doesn't like her that much," Sif mumbled, and only I heard.

I grabbed her and pulled her into a half hug as guards began pouring in from one end of the corridor, shouting at us.

"I'll hold them off," Sif said, "go now."

"Thank you, sister," I smiled at her.

"Betray them, and I'll kill you," Sif drew her sword at Loki's throat.

"It's good to see you too, Sif," Loki chuckled.

I grabbed the three of them, avoiding touching Loki as much as I could, since his cold skin made me shiver, sadly not because of the temperature itself. I teleported us into the throne room. Volstagg was waiting in front of the ship, which I had not seen properly inside before, so I could not teleport us into it. The walls of the palace were thick with spells, so I struggled to go through them myself, much less carrying the three of them.

"I will give you as much time as I can," Volstagg nodded to us.

"Thank you, my friend," Thor shook his hand.

"I'm sure it will be enough," I added.

Jane only nodded nervously at him as we passed through towards the entrance of the elves' ship. I heard a sharp noise as Volstagg stopped Loki with his hand pressed onto his broad chest, making him smile amusedly once again.

"If you even think about betraying them…"

"You'll kill me?" Loki quipped, "Evidently, there will be a line."

I ignored him and walked onto the ship, up the stairs and onto the control room. Everything was dark and there was a rotten smell to it… like stale corpses. Thor quickly rushed to the panel, clicking a button at random.

"That doesn't look like it," I mumbled.

"I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing," Loki joked.

"I said 'how hard could it be?'" Thor responded, pressing buttons at random which brought small whirs with them.

"Well, whatever you're doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster."  
"Shut up, Loki."

"You must've missed something."

"No, I didn't, I'm pressing every button on this thing!" Thor exclaimed, frustrated.

"No, don't hit it, just press it gently," Loki instructed.

"I am pressing it gently!" Thor snapped while hitting every button.

I began looking around more carefully and finally saw a lever underneath the console, which I pulled, bringing the ship to life. The lights appeared everywhere, and it began to make sounds from every direction.

"A-ha!" Thor exclaimed.

"As usual, had to be saved by someone else's intellect," Loki mocked.

"Shut up, Loki," Thor said for the second time in the last minute.

"The controls in this thing are insane," I gasped as circles of light surrounded us.

Thor began to pilot it, quite messily taking it off the ground and starting forward, tearing apart what was left of the throne room.

"I think you missed a column," Loki joked.

"Shut up!" Thor ordered.

"Look, why don't you let me take over?" Loki offered, "I'm clearly the better pilot."

I didn't want to admit it, but it sounded like the best choice, given Thor's driving skills and experience. The ship was twisting and turning in every direction and Jane had already fallen to the ground. Loki and Thor paid no mind to her, probably thinking it was a normal human reaction. I checked her pulse quickly, and she nodded, trying to say she was okay, acting like she'd had too much to drink. She'd be fine.

"Is that so?" Thor was still arguing with Loki, "well, out of the two of us, which one can actually fly?"

"We're being shot at," I commented since Thor was dodging none of the shots.

"If they didn't take it down when the elves drove it into the palace, why would they hurt us now?"

"Because they knew how to fly it?" I chuckled, making Loki laugh.

"Clearly, she would rather I drive as well," Loki gloated.

"She would probably rather you not be here at all," Thor snapped as he drove the ship into the roof of a building, tearing it to pieces.

"You think so?" Loki smirked, "because I think she rather likes spending time with me. Or is there another reason you visited me in my cell?"

Thor turned at this, hurt evident on his face.

"You know damn well there is," I snapped.

"You visited him?" Thor asked, taking his eyes of the skies and driving even worse than before.

"Thor!" I exclaimed, trying to take the controls from him, but he pulled them away, jarring the ship wildly and almost making me fall until Loki's hands steadied me by grabbing my waist.

I shook him off quickly taking a step towards Thor.

"Did you not tell him you visited me?"

No one responded as we started being chased by a couple of ships.

"They're following us," I tried to change the subject.

"Well, don't take it personally, she might've just felt she owed it to me after I returned her memories."  
"You what?!" Thor now shouted.

"Thor, just fucking pilot this, we'll talk later!" I exclaimed.

"Did you not tell him about the necklace?"

"Shut up, Loki!" I yelled.

"I'm not loving the communication here, and that's key to a good relationship," he chastisted mockingly.

"Yeah, thank you for the commentary, Loki, it's not at all distracting!" Thor cried.

We flew into a large bridge, at the edge two statues of Thor's grandfather and his father before him, one of which we flew straight through.

"Well done," Loki sang, "you just decapitated your grandfather."

We somehow got out of the bridge in one piece, now flying over water, twisting and turning to dodge the onslaught of shots being fired at us. Thor kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, hurt and confused.

"You know, this is wonderful," Loki made things worse, "this is a tremendous idea. Let's steal the biggest, most obvious ship in the universe and escape in that! Flying around the city smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us! It's brilliant, Thor! It's truly brilliant!"

Thor turned around grabbing Loki's shirt by the neck, real anger flashing through his face despite this being part of the plan. He held back and just threw him out of the window as was the plan. I kneeled down and picked up Jane.

"Ness, wait," Thor spoke trying to hold back his anger.

"Thor, he made it sound like that on purpose."

"I know… I just… we'll talk later, right?"

"Right."

I teleported onto the ship Fandral was piloting below us, Jane with me and Thor landing next to us a few seconds later. I lay Jane down on the ground comfortably as Fandral laughed.

"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki."

Loki stood up, turning back to face us.

"You lied to me," he accused Thor, "I'm impressed."  
"I'm glad you're pleased," Thor's gaming mood was gone, "now do as you promised and take us to your secret pathway."

Loki's face was elated as he took control of the small vessel, driving it faster than we'd been going the entire way so far, everyone clearly concerned. Jane was still passed out and I began to fall back but steadied myself We started being shot at, but Loki managed to dodge most of the fires.

"Fandral," Thor commanded.

"For Asgard," Fandral nodded and jumped onto the other ship, disarming the soldiers on it.

Loki began flying us towards the top of some mountains, rocky and full of caves.

"Loki," Thor cautioned.

"If it were easy, everyone would do it," Loki replied.

"Are you mad?" Thor shouted.

"Possibly," Loki didn't argue.

We sped up, Thor ignoring his earlier anger and holding on to my arm, making Loki's jaw clench. We flew into a tiny cave, green crystals covering it's walls in thin lines. The ship was smashing into either side of the cave's surface but we sped up until lights like the ones from the Bifrost were flashing around us and landed roughly on Svartelheim's brown dirt floor.

"Ta-da!" Loki exclaimed.

 *******  
 **Welp, this is the fourth chapter I post today to make up for my weekend's absence! Hope you're enjoying! Thanks for reading and be sure to review to let me know any thoughts/ideas you have for the story or just general comments sml**


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